国际英语新闻:Malaysia enters political uncertainties following PM Mahathir's resignation

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad abruptly resigned on Monday, which could lead his country's politics into unchartered territories.

Mahathir announced his resignation earlier in the day, both as the prime minister and as the chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), one of four component parties of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.

"Mahathir Mohamad had sent a letter of resignation as Prime Minister of Malaysia today," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, adding that the letter had been given to King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who served as the country's ceremonial head of state.

Following a meeting between Sultan Abdullah and Mahathir at the national palace, chief secretary to the government Mohd Zuki Ali said in a statement that Mahathir's resignation was accepted.

Sultan Abdullah also appointed Mahathir to serve as the interim prime minister until a new Prime Minister was chosen and a new cabinet established, the statement added.

The 94-year-old Mahathir has neither spoken publicly since announcing his resignation nor provided any reason or explanation for doing so. But it came amid speculations that he might seek to form a new government with oppositions after receiving internal pressure from the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH), or Alliance of Hope, to step down for former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

After a Pakatan Harapan Supreme Council meeting on Friday, Mahathir insisted that he would step down after the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit at the end of the year but the exact timing will be decided by himself.

It came amid intense speculations that a possible political realignment was being planned, with several political parties, including the opposition, holding meetings on Sunday.

The PH coalition comprising Mahathir's PPBM, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Amanah Negara, took power after the national polls in May 2018, defeating the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition led by United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which ruled the country since 1957 until 2018.

Mahathir himself headed the UMNO and BN as Malaysia's Prime Minister from 1983 to 2004.

Shortly before Mahathir's resignation on Monday, PPBM President Muhyiddin Yassin said the party was leaving the PH coalition with the party's supreme council making the decision.

"All members of the House of Representatives of the party are also out of Pakatan Harapan. All of them have signed the oath to continue to support and trust Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister of Malaysia," the PPBM president said.

However, Finance Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who met Mahathir on Monday shortly before his resignation, said Mahathir had resigned due to his principles, refusing to work with the UMNO or form a "back-door" government through undemocratic means.

Lim said his party will continue to support Mahathir as the prime minister, blaming "renegade and treacherous" elements for attempting to form a government through the back door.

Following Mahathir's resignation, analysts predicted parties will work on realignment in a bid to get a majority in the lower house of the parliament to form a new government.

Professor Azmi Hassan from University of Technology Malaysia said it was less likely that a fresh national polls would be called, but instead a realignment would take place.

"Basically this realignment means that any entity that will form the government will not only consist of the current Pakatan Harapan government but also maybe from Members of Parliament from the opposition."

Azmi also said political parties from the northern Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak would play a critical role in making up any new government, considering the number of seats held by them.

"The East Malaysian parties are the entity to be courted by both sides because they hold a substantial number of Members of Parliament and if any entity will form the government after this, they need the numbers provided by the northern Borneo states," he said.