Mahathir Mohamad resigned earlier this week, but he opened a new power "war" with former ally Anwar Ibrahim.

The turbulent relationship between Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, 94, and Anwar Ibrahim, 72, has shaped Malaysian politics for years. Anwar was Mahathir's deputy and a rising political star when Mahathir was prime minister in the 1990s. But when the Asian financial crisis brought Malaysia's economy into recession in the late 1990s, The relationship between the two people was rift.

In 1998, Anwar was dismissed and imprisoned on charges of corruption and homosexuality until his release in 2004. Anwar said the charges were aimed at him for political purposes.

However, during his tenure, Mahathir repeatedly refused to say when he would transfer power. Earlier this week, Mahathir seemed to make it clear he did not want to keep his promise to Anwar.

On February 24, Mahathir resigned as prime minister and chairman of the Indigenous Solidarity Party of Malaysia (Bersatu). Bersatu, consisting of 26 lawmakers, and 11 members of Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) withdrew from Pakatan Harapan on the same day, leaving the coalition with 102 seats, losing a majority of 222 seats in parliament and becoming a government. disintegrate. Experts assess Mahathir's resignation as a tactical move to shake off the power transition agreement.

The King of Malaysia accepted Mahathir's resignation, but appointed him as interim prime minister. Mahathir yesterday announced on television that he wanted to form a non-partisan government and be ready to return as prime minister. "Partisan politics needs to be set aside," Mahathir said. "If allowed, I will try to form a comprehensive government, not on any part of any party."

However, Anwar "got in the way" of Mahathir's plan, announcing that he received support from the three parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition. Pakatan Harapan initially supported Mahathir but later turned to support Anwar, after Mahathir refused to attend an alliance meeting on February 25. Pakatan Harapan nominated Anwar as prime minister and presented it to the King.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP), a member of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, explained that they cannot support Mahathir because a nonpartisan government led by him would not be subject to parliamentary control. "If that scenario happens, Mahathir will be the only one who decides who will be the minister of the cabinet. DAP and other parties will not be consulted in the process," the party said.

The right to appoint a prime minister is in the hands of the King of Malaysia. He has been consulting all parliamentarians since the beginning of the week to know who they stand for or want to hold a new election. The winning candidate must have the support of at least 112 MPs. It is not clear whether Anwar or Mahathir will achieve that.

James Chin, a Malaysia expert from the University of Tasmania, believes that Mahathir will likely prevail in the "war" of power. Tom Pepinsky, a professor at Cornell University, said a "nonpartisan cabinet" is still possible, although Pakatan Harapan has turned away from Mahathir. The professor suggested that parliamentarians could join Mahathir's cabinet as an independent instead of being a member of Pakatan Harapan.

"Some MP Pakatan Harapan may see this as a more viable option if they want to improve their position before the new election," Pepinsky said.

Meanwhile, Professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid from the University of Science of Malaysia said that Anwar would prevail because he had more chances to win the support history of at least 112 MPs. Before announcing the nonpartisan government plan to the public, Mahathir discussed the matter with many MPs but they were not interested.

Another scenario is holding an early election to ease the deadlock. The National Coalition Front (Barisan Nasional), which ruled Malaysia for 60 years until it was "overthrown" in 2018, said it had informed the King that it wanted a new election. This alliance currently has 42 seats. The Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) with 18 seats made the same move.

"The best option is to hold a general election, but neither Mahathir and Anwar want it. They fear people will boycott them," Chin said.

The future of Malaysian politics is unpredictable. "These are unprecedented developments in Malaysian politics and things are likely to become even more confusing," Cornell said.