Mahathir Mohamad quits as Malaysia’s prime minister

Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad has resigned as prime minister, submitting his resignation to the King amid political chaos in Kuala Lumpur.

The shock move comes after 24 hours of high political drama and after months of speculation about the stability of the governing Pakatan Harapan coalition.

It was not immediately clear on Monday afternoon, local time, whether Dr Mahathir would attempt to form a new coalition government with members of his Bersatu party, a breakaway group of PKR MPs led by Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali and members of opposition parties including UMNO, who were booted out by voters at the historic May 2018 election.

Bersatu later confirmed it would quit the Pakatan Harapan alliance in a move which would cost the government up to 26 of the 139 seats in the 222 member parliament and place its governing majority in jeopardy.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.Credit:James Massola

The alternative to Mahathir breaking the governing coalition and attempting to form a new grouping include the 94-year-old quitting politics entirely or going back to the polls to face voters.

In a short statement from Mahathir, who has cast the longest shadow over Malaysian politics for four decades, the prime minister confirmed he had resigned but did not state what his next move would be.

The letter to the King was handed over at 1pm local time (4pm Australian time).

On Sunday, members of those three parties and other minor parties had held a series of meetings in hotels and party headquarters across Kuala Lumpur.

As the day ended, a senior member of UMNO – the party Mahathir's led during his first, 22 year stint as prime minister from 1981 to 2003 – declared the Pakatan Harapan alliance dead.

The poltical future of Anwar Ibrahaim, the ally-turned-enemy-turned ally of Mahathir who was on a promise he would succeed Mahathir when the pair formed an alliance to win the May 2018 election, is also unclear.

On Sunday night, Anwar railed against his former allies such as Azmin – the deputy leader of Anwar's PKR party – for betraying him and forecast the government could fall as soon as Monday.

Anwar and Mahathir met at the prime minister's residence on Monday, along with deputy PM Wan Azizah Ismail (Anwar's wife) and Lim Guan Eng, the DAP boss and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng (DAP would be the other big losers if the current government disintegrated).

Later on Monday, Anwar and Wan Azizah were due to meet the King at the palace.

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