Update: 3 Dec 2022: Malaysian PM Anwar unveils cabinet
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled his cabinet on Friday, naming two deputy prime ministers in an effort to better represent both halves of the country.
Anwar sworn in as Malaysia's 10th PM
Anwar Ibrahim will be sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister this evening.
After days of negotiations, and political uncertainty, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had decided to appoint the prime minister after meeting with the Conference of Rulers.
Anwar is expected to lead a unity.
Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th PM, ending decades-long wait for country's top job
Malaysia's newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (centre) takes part in the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 24, 2022. (Photo: AFP/POOL/Mohd Rasfan)
Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister on Thursday (Nov 24).
His appointment was confirmed by Istana Negara just after lunch, following several days of political uncertainty as last Saturday’s election failed to produce a clear winner. In the palace statement confirming Mr Anwar as the next leader of Malaysia, the king advised Mr Anwar and the new government to show “humility and wisdom”.
“The fact is that ordinary people should not be burdened with endless political turmoil when the country needs a stable government to boost the economic landscape and development of the country,” said the statement. The statement also reminded elected Members of Parliament to show priority, high commitment as well as to provide the best service to the people.
Malaysia's Anwar sworn in as PM, pledges to fight corruption
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks to a gathering in Kuala Lumpur © Reuters
New Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged Thursday to fight corruption and support a multiracial Malaysia under progressive and transparent leadership. "There will be no questions of instability in my administration," he said. "I have asked for the government to put in a motion of confidence as the first agenda on Dec. 19," he told a packed news conference near Kuala Lumpur with his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, by his side.
Anwar, 75, said he would seek to prove he has the support of at least 112 lawmakers, the amount needed to form a simple majority government. The leader of the reformist Hope Pact coalition, Anwar was sworn in earlier as the country's 10th prime minister in front of King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin. The new prime minister received congratulatory calls from Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Anwar's elevation caps a dramatic career in which he tried and failed to become prime minister three times, and spent a period in jail on charges many believed were politically motivated. "My grandson, Nurul Izzah's (his eldest daughter) son, asked me today how long I had to wait to be prime minister...I told him not too long, but only 24 years," he quipped.
PM Anwar Ibrahim says role of China ‘pivotal’, ties to be enhanced
New appointed PM Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian king and queen, and Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail after the swearing in at the National Palace. Photo: EPA-EFE
Malaysia’s king convened a special meeting between the heads of the nation’s nine royal houses on Thursday, on day five of a post-election political impasse.
Saturday’s polls led to a hung parliament, although the reformist long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance and the Malay-Muslim Perikatan Nasional (PH) coalition led by Malay nationalist Muhyiddin Yassin emerged as the two biggest blocs.
Constitutional monarch Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah sought the meeting to seek the views of his fellow sultans and assist him in making a decision on the leadership tussle “for the interests and well-being of the nation and people”.
A long and winding road to the top
Woman behind the man: Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail leaving Istana Negara with her husband. — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
It has been a 24-year wait, an arduous journey that saw him sacked as deputy prime minister, defeated several times, jailed twice and pardoned. Now, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has finally achieved his long-held ambition and clinched the country’s top job at the age of 75.
Anwar, who was born in Cherok Tok Kun in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, in 1945, started out as a young firebrand in the 1970s. He founded the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) in 1971 and served as its president until 1982. He became famed as a student leader when he headed the Baling demonstration of 1974.
The demonstration, which broke out on Nov 19 of that year, saw some 30,000 people gather to protest the drop in the price of rubber. Anwar is reported to have said that the demonstration was to voice the sufferings of rural folk and farmers.
What analysts say about Anwar’s appointment as new Malaysia PM
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s appointment caps a three-decade long political journey. PHOTO: REUTERS
Malaysia’s King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, appointed long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister on Thursday, ending five days of unprecedented post-election crisis after inconclusive polls.
Datuk Seri Anwar’s appointment caps a three-decade long political journey, from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, to a prisoner convicted of sodomy, to opposition leader and, finally, prime minister.
The former finance minister and deputy prime minister will have to address soaring inflation and slowing growth, while calming ethnic tension that has flared since a Saturday election.
Malaysia’s longtime opposition leader Anwar sworn in as PM
Anwar Ibrahim attends a news conference outside the National Palace, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 22, 2022. © Hasnoor Hussain, Reuters
Malaysia’s longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister on Thursday, ending days of uncertainty after divisive general elections produced a hung parliament. Anwar was sworn in by the country's monarch at the royal palace on Thursday evening, hours after the palace released a statement announcing the nomination. "After taking into consideration the views of Their Royal Highnesses the Malay Rulers, His Majesty has given consent to appoint Anwar Ibrahim as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia," the statement said.
His appointment ended five days of unprecedented post-election crisis, but could usher in a new instability with his rival, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, on Thursday challenging him to prove his majority in parliament. A general election on Saturday ended in an unprecedented hung parliament with neither of two main alliances, one led by Anwar and the other by Yassin, immediately able to secure enough seats in parliament to form a government. Anwar's appointment caps a three-decade long journey from heir apparent to a prisoner convicted of sodomy to longtime opposition leader. His Alliance of Hope coalition led Saturday’s election with 82 seats, short of the 112 needed for a majority. Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s right-leaning National Alliance won 73 seats, with its ally Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party emerging as the biggest single party with 49 seats.
The decision on the prime minister came down to King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, after both Anwar and Muhyiddin missed his Tuesday afternoon deadline to put together an alliance. The constitutional monarch plays a largely ceremonial role but can appoint a premier he believes will command a majority in parliament. Anwar finally emerged victorious after other smaller blocs agreed to support him for a unity government. His rise to the top will ease anxieties in the multiracial nation over greater Islamisation under Muhyiddin and spark hopes that reforms for better governance will resume.
Prisoner to PM: Anwar Ibrahim’s long ride to the top in Malaysia
Anwar emerged victorious after smaller blocs agreed to back him to form a unity government. Malaysia's king on Thursday named him the country's prime minister, ending days of uncertainties after divisive general elections produced a hung Parliament. [John Shen Lee/AP Photo]
Anwar Ibrahim has been sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister, trumping a Malay nationalist leader to clinch the top job after divisive general elections led to a hung parliament. Becoming prime minister caps Anwar’s rollercoaster political journey, from a former deputy prime minister whose sacking and imprisonment in the 1990s led to enormous street protests and a reform movement that rose into a vital political force.
It is a second victory for his reformist bloc, which won 2018 polls but lost power after 22 months due to a power struggle that has led to continuous political turmoil. Last Saturday’s election, which was supposed to end the instability that had led to three prime ministers since 2018, instead produced new uncertainty after no party won a clear mandate.
Anwar’s multiethnic Alliance of Hope, led with 82 seats, short of the 112 needed for a majority. Muhyiddin’s right-leaning National Alliance won 73 seats, with its ally Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) emerging as the biggest single party with 49 seats Anwar emerged victorious after smaller blocs agreed to back him to form a unity government. Still, he faces a tall task in bridging racial divides that deepened after Saturday’s poll and reviving an economy struggling with rising inflation and a currency that has fallen to its weakest point.
Election Results: No clear winner as Malaysia election ends in hung parliament
Coalition led by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim wins most seats, but group led by ex-PM Muhyiddin Yassin make gains
Malaysia’s tightly contested general election has ended in a hung parliament, with the coalition led by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim winning the most seats followed by a grouping including the country’s Islamist party a few seats behind.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition secured 82 seats in the 222-member parliament while former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-based Perikatan Nasional (PN) trailed behind with 73 seats, the Election Commission of Malaysia said early on Sunday morning. Voting was suspended in one seat in the Borneo state of Sarawak after flooding made it impossible for elections workers and voters to get to some polling stations.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition – dominated by his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party – suffered major upsets, emerging with just 30 seats. It was a major turnaround for an alliance that dominated Malaysia’s political landscape since its independence nearly 60 years ago. Anwar and Muhyiddin each claimed their coalitions had enough support to form the government, although they did not reveal which parties they had allied with. Key to the formation of any government will be the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak, which have long sought greater influence at the federal level.
Malaysia 2022 Election Results: Mutual Claims of Win, Appears Hanging Parliament
Malaysia 2022 election results have been obtained. The 2022 Malaysian General Election (Pemilu) was completed on November 19, 2022. The results of this election determine the majority of votes in parliament, with the winning party or coalition entitled to form a new government and determine the next Prime Minister (PM).
It should be noted that the main battle in the parliamentary election this time took place between the Barisan Nasional coalition led by the now ruling United Malays National Organization Party (UMNO), the Pakatan Harapan coalition led by opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, and the Perikatan Nasional coalition led by former PM Muhyiddin Yassin. It takes at least 112 seats out of a total of 222 seats to gain a majority in the Malaysian parliament. The coalition or party that wins the majority of seats in parliamentary elections will be tasked with forming a new government and determining the next PM.
The following are the latest facts about the results of the 2022 Malaysian election:
- Malaysia’s 2022 election has ended. Two Malaysian PM candidates, namely Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin, both claimed their respective wins. The winner of Malaysia’s 2022 parliamentary election results can form a new government and determine the next PM after the general election.
- As reported Asian News Channel and Asian Nikkei, Sunday (11/20), voting on Saturday (11/19) resulted in a tight vote. Pakatan Harapan, which carries opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, won 82 seats.
- Perikatan Nasional, which carried former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, followed closely with 73 seats.
- Meanwhile, the Barisan Nasional Coalition, which carried Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, won 30 seats.
- Furthermore, the Sarawak Party Association (GPS) has 22 seats, the Sabah People’s Association (GRS) six seats, the Sabah Heritage Party three seats, the Malaysian National Party one seat and two seats won by independent candidates.
Malaysia election results: Umno loses big time
While Malaysia’s parliament currently hangs in the balance after yesterday’s election, with neither Perikatan Nasional (PN) or Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalitions having the majority to form a government (despite their leaders’ claims), what is most shocking was the crushing defeat for Barisan Nasional (BN), the right-wing alliance led by the once undefeatable Umno party.
Out of the 191 seats that Barisan Nasional contested in the 15th general election (GE15), it only won 30. The results of GE15 on the election commission’s website show that PH wins the most seats at 82, followed by PN (73) and BN (30). Meanwhile, Islamist party PAS is currently the largest party in parliament with 44 MPs followed by DAP (40) and PKR (31). BN chairman Zahid Hamidi issued a statement last night in which he acknowledged that his coalition recognised the vote outcome but refrained from admitting defeat. “BN considers that the result of GE15 as a big signal given by the people towards us.” “Nevertheless, BN will commit to continue contributing to see that a stable government can be established, we are ready to set aside our previous differences in sentiment,” he said in the statement.
PN, led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, delivered the biggest blow to Umno after it reduced support for the grand old party in its historical bastions. The PN alliance comprises a Malay-centric party (Bersatu), which portrays itself as anti-corrupt, and an Islamist party (PAS) that has touted shariah law in the past. Malay Muslims form the majority community in Malaysia followed by ethnic Chinese, Indians and other minorities. Race and religion remain sensitive and divisive issues in the country.
Malaysia Boleh
