Malaysian Opposition Welcomes Prime Minister's Resignation

Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has quit after losing majority support in parliament but is set to remain as interim leader until a replacement is found, Simon Roughneen reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Photo Insert: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim during his campaign trail

Announcing his resignation live on TV, Muhyiddin on Monday defended his record and accused rivals of trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to seize power. The now-caretaker premier claimed his attempts to deal with the pandemic and to remain in office "did not work" because of "parties who were greedy to grab power, rather than prioritizing your lives and livelihoods."

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he "welcomed" the prime minister's announcement, which he said "will pave the way for change."

But Muhyiddin is set to stay on as caretaker premier, King Abdullah said, as staging parliamentary elections during the pandemic "would not be the best decision based on factors concerning the welfare and safety of the [people]."

Elections are due by May 2023 at the latest, but Muhyiddin last week said they could be held by July next year. He was set to face a confidence vote in parliament next month after coming under heavy pressure to resign over his pandemic response, with record death and hospitalization numbers being reported despite three months of lockdown.

Since the curbs were announced on May 10, daily coronavirus case numbers have increased five-fold to around 20,000, while the country's economy is taking another heavy hit after a 5.6-per-cent contraction last year.

Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 2 percent in the second quarter of 2021, measured against the first three months of the year, according to official estimates announced last week.

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