Anwar Ibrahim appointed as Malaysia’s next prime minister

Anwar Ibrahim, chairman of Pakatan Harapan (The Alliance of Hope) coalition, leaves his Bukit Gasing Office Residence, where he is expected to meet the King of Malaysia at the Istana Negara on 22 November 2022 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (Getty Images)
Anwar Ibrahim, chairman of Pakatan Harapan (The Alliance of Hope) coalition, leaves his Bukit Gasing Office Residence, where he is expected to meet the King of Malaysia at the Istana Negara on 22 November 2022 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (Getty Images)

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was on Thursday appointed prime minister, the sultan’s palace said.

He will be sworn in at 5pm local time (0900 GMT), said King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Mr Ibrahim’s Alliance of Hope led Saturday’s election with 82 seats. It, however, fell 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.

Mr Ibrahim 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 Islamization under Mr Yassin and spark hope that reforms for better governance will resume.

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