Malaysian government resigns – Elections impossible

Its prime minister Malaysian Muhiddin Yassin submitted his resignation to the king today, but will continue to serve as caretaker prime minister, the palace said in a statement, following months of political unrest sparked by internal strife in its ruling coalition that resulted in the loss of a slim majority. in parliament, reports APE.

Mukhidin will serve as caretaker Prime Minister until a new prime minister is appointed, according to a palace statement.

The Prime Minister and his government resigned today after 17 months in power, with this resignation leading to a new period of political instability in this country of Southeast Asia, which is affected by the outbreak of the new coronavirus pandemic.

The palace clarified that holding elections is not the best option and King Al Sultan Abdullah welcomed Muhiddin’s stay as caretaker prime minister.

“The king has received the letter of resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin and the entire cabinet with immediate effect,” the palace said in a statement on Facebook.

“After the resignation, the king welcomes Muhiddin’s fulfillment of his duties as caretaker Prime Minister until a new Prime Minister is appointed,” the statement added.

Later in a televised address, Mukhidin said he had submitted his resignation to the king because he had lost the confidence of a majority of lawmakers, adding that a new government would be formed as soon as possible.

“It is not appropriate to hold elections during a pandemic”

The Prime Minister of Malaysia came to power in March 2020 without elections and led a coalition government after the fall of the government of Mahathir Mohamad, a major figure in Malaysian politics.

Mukhidin Yassin postponed the elections for months, imposing a state of emergency due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus.

The 74-year-old prime minister tried to stay in power on Friday, unsuccessfully proposing to opposition lawmakers that they support him in exchange for reforms.

However, after failing to secure the support of parliamentarians, he held his last cabinet meeting today before heading to the palace to submit his resignation to the monarch.

The king stated that It is not appropriate to hold elections during a pandemic, at a time when cases and deaths per million people in Malaysia are among the highest in Southeast Asia.

The decision is now up to the king, who can appoint a prime minister by electing one of the elected deputies on the basis of who he believes could win a majority.

However, as no potential successor to Muhyiddin Yassin emerges as there is no clear majority party in parliament, the country could plunge back into a period of political instability, such as those it has repeatedly faced in the midst of rivalry between rival factions.

The country of 32 million people is facing a large wave of COVID-19 cases, which is difficult to stop, with tens of thousands of new cases every day, while its economy is facing problems due to the lockdowns and restrictive measures imposed by the government.

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