Malaysia’s king named reformist opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as the country’s Prime Minister on Thursday, ending days of uncertainty after divisive general elections produced a hung Parliament.
Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said Anwar will be sworn in later Thursday.
Anwar’s Alliance of Hope led Saturday’s election with 82 seats, 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.
Anwar 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 Muhyiddin and spark hopes that reforms for better governance will resume.