The King of Malaysia today appointed former Interior Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the new prime minister, replacing his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad.

According to a statement issued by the Royal Malaysia, former Minister Muhyiddin, leader of the Bersatu party, will be sworn in tomorrow after a week of Malaysian political turmoil due to the collapse of the ruling coalition and the former prime minister. Mahathir, 94, suddenly applied to resign.

"The process of appointing a new prime minister cannot be delayed because the country needs a government for the well-being of the people and the nation," the statement from the Royal Malaysia emphasized, adding that the King believes the new Prime Minister Muhyiddin With the support of a majority of legislators, this is "the best decision for everyone".

Speaking to the media at his home, the new Prime Minister Muhyiddin called on Malaysians to approve the Royal decision to promote him.

Mahathir, Prime Minister, resigned on February 24 to the King. This was thought to be a tactical move that helped him cancel the power transition agreement of the ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), preventing Anwar Ibrahim from succeeding him before the next election in 2023.

Mahathir and Anwar's PH Alliance won the general election in 2018. These two politicians have faced each other for years but allied themselves to overthrow former Prime Minister Najib Razak ahead of the general election. Mahathir repeatedly promised Anwar his successor but refused to answer when he would transfer power, causing tensions in the four-party coalition.

Muhyiddin, 72, is from the southern state of Johor, bordering Singapore. His father was an influential missionary teacher back home. He graduated from the University of Malaya in 1970, majoring in Malaysian Economics and Research.

Before becoming Bersatu party leader, he joined the Malay National Organization (UMNO) party, which was defeated in the general election in 2018. Muhyiddin served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia from April 2009 to October. June 2015 before being sacked and expelled from UMNO for criticizing how former Prime Minister Najib Razak handled a billion-dollar corruption scandal at the state fund 1MDB.