Leader of Malaysia's opposition alliance Mahathir Mohamad (Source: xinhua/VNA)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Election Commission of Malaysia on May 10announced the official results of the country’s general election one day agoaffirming the unexpected victory of the opposition alliance led by former PrimeMinister Mahathir Mohamad.
The results showed that Mahathir's Pakatan Harapan (Allianceof Hope) won 113 of parliament's 222 seats, exceeding the simple majorityrequired to rule.
Meanwhile, the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) headedby Prime Minister Najib Razak won only 79 seats.
With this result, the opposition alliance is eligible toform a new government with Mahathir to be sworn in as the new Prime Minister.At the age of 92, Mahathir will become the oldest elected leader in the world.
Mahathir declared victory at a meeting in Petaling Jaya cityand said he plans to be sworn in as the country’s Government leader on May 10.
He also disclosed that he plans to appoint Wan Azizah WanIsmail, President of the People’s Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat -PKR),as Deputy Prime Minister, making her the first female Deputy PM of Malaysia.
However, Malaysia’s private TV channel TV3 reported that theMalaysian Royal Family had announced the swearing-in ceremony would be moved toanother day.
Malaysian media is seeking to contact PH leaders, includingMahathir, for an accurate answer.
Mahathir served as Malaysian Prime Minister from 1981 to2003.
In his first appearance on May 10 since his party's shockloss, Najib said that because no single party has got a simple majority, theKing will determine who the next Prime Minister will be.
"According to the Constitution, it will be based on whohas the confidence of the majority in the Dewan Rakyat," he told a pressconference on Thursday morning (May 10).
"We trust the wisdom of the King to make the bestchoice," he was quoted by the Straitimes newspaper as saying.
Najib also said he accepted the verdict of the people andthat the Barisan Nasional is committed to respecting the principles ofparliamentary democracy.-VNA
VNA
