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| As it became clear that Mahathir had won, supporters took to the streets waving flags of the opposition alliance (AFP Photo/Mohd RASFAN) |
Malaysia's veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 92, won a shock election victory Thursday, in a political earthquake that toppled the country's scandal-plagued premier and ousted a regime that has ruled for over six decades.
It was a
stunning triumph that almost no one had predicted and ended the long hold on
power of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since
its birth as an independent country.
The victory
capped a dramatic political comeback for Mahathir, who previously ruled the
country with an iron fist for 22 years, and came out of retirement to taken on
Prime Minister Najib Razak after the leader became embroiled in a massive
corruption scandal.
When he
takes power, Mahathir will be the oldest prime minister in the world.
His victory
spells big trouble for Najib -- Mahathir has vowed to bring him to justice over
allegations that billions of dollars were looted from sovereign wealth fund
1MDB, which the scandal-plagued leader set up and oversaw.
But at a
press conference, Mahathir vowed: "We are not seeking revenge. We want to
restore the rule of law."
Mahathir's
return to the political frontlines saw him throw in his lot with an opposition
alliance filled with parties that he crushed while in power, and which includes
jailed opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim -- his former nemesis.
As well as seizing control of the national government, several state legislatures across the country fell into opposition hands for the first time, including the highly symbolic bastion of Johor, the birthplace of Najib's party that was the lynchpin of the ruling coalition.
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When he
takes power, Mahathir Mohamad, 92, will be the oldest prime minister
in the
world (AFP Photo/Manan VATSYAYANA)
|
As well as seizing control of the national government, several state legislatures across the country fell into opposition hands for the first time, including the highly symbolic bastion of Johor, the birthplace of Najib's party that was the lynchpin of the ruling coalition.
Official
results from the Election Commission showed that Mahathir's opposition grouping
Pakatan Harapan, along with an ally in the Borneo state of Sabah, had secured
115 parliamentary seats. 112 are needed to form a government. BN were on 79
seats with just a few left to count.
As it
became clear that Mahathir had won, supporters took to the streets waving flags
of the opposition alliance.
After polls
closed earlier in the day, journalists had flocked to the headquarters of
Najib's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin in the ruling
coalition -- but he failed to turn up to give a victory speech and the media
were told to leave.
Huge
numbers of voters earlier flocked to the polls across the country, despite
Najib having called the election on a weekday in what critics said was a bid to
keep turnout down.
The BN
wipeout is a disaster for Najib, who had been under pressure to score an
emphatic win after the government lost the popular vote for the first time at
the last elections in 2013.
The
controversy surrounding 1MDB has dogged Najib since the story exploded in 2015.
Billions of dollars were allegedly stolen from the fund, which was set up and
overseen by Najib. The leader and 1MDB deny any wrongdoing.
But in rural
areas, the rising cost of living, which has hit poor Malays hard, was the main
concern at the election particularly after the introduction of an unpopular
sales tax in 2015.
#UPDATE Malaysia's Mahathir wins shock election victory, toppling 61-yr-old regime https://t.co/vijr5oPJud pic.twitter.com/XTDogeLUl7— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 9, 2018
VIDEO: 92-year-old former leader Mahathir is challenging the current scandal-hit Malaysian PM Najib - and it’s turning out to be one of the country’s closest-ever elections https://t.co/7qnKdpyjAP pic.twitter.com/X5NN4QFD9N— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 9, 2018
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