Former Malaysian Interior Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in at the National Palace this morning, becoming Malaysia's 8th prime minister.

Muhyiddin's inauguration took place at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, in the presence of King Ahmad Shah. Allies with Muhyiddin gathered in prayer at the mosque near the National Palace before the ceremony began.

Muhyiddin, 72, is from the southern state of Johor, bordering Singapore. 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 June. / 2015 before being removed and expelled from the UMNO for criticizing how former Prime Minister Najib Razak handled a billion-dollar corruption scandal at the state fund 1MDB.

Muhyiddin was appointed by the King to be Malaysia's eighth prime minister yesterday, a week after Malaysian politics were chaotic due to the collapse of the ruling coalition and the sudden submission of 94-year-old former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. resignation.

Mahathir's resignation sparked a fierce race for prime minister. Mahathir tried to mobilize MPs to support him, but eventually "lost" to Muhyiddin, who headed an alliance with a majority of Malaysian Muslims.

The king's decision to appoint Muhyiddin has angered many, arguing that the democratically elected government is being denied. Former Prime Minister Mahathir insisted he had enough support to become the head of government and asked the King to reconsider his appointment.

"The king decided not to see me, but to appoint Muhyiddin. So I had no chance to tell him that he was not supported by the majority. I could not contact the Palace," Mahathir said. reporters.

Mahathir said he would request an emergency session of parliament, scheduled to re-convene on March 9, to test whether Mr. Muhyiddin has the support of a majority of parliamentarians.

Asked if he regrets resigning, the former prime minister said he was forced to do so after discovering his Bersatu party was seeking to form a government with the Umno party last weekend, a move that led to the collapse. of the ruling coalition he has led since the May 2018 election.

Muhyiddin has the support of the majority of Bersatu parliamentarians as well as the Umno party, the Muslim Islamic party and the Gabungan Parti Sarawak. However, Mahathir said that Muhyiddin did not receive support from the over-selling parliamentarians in the 222-member parliament of Malaysia to form the government.

Under Malaysian rules, the King appoints the Prime Minister, but he must prove that he receives the support of a majority of parliamentarians.