Ismail Yaakob sworn in as Malaysia’s new prime minister
Bangkok, Aug 21 (EFE).- Ismail Sabri Yaakob was sworn in as the new prime minister of Malaysia on Saturday after receiving the support of the Parliament, marking the third change of hands in as many years, state-owned Bernama agency reported.
Yaakob’s ratification came a day after King Abdullah of Pahang selected him to replace Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Monday after his coalition government lost support in the legislature.
Yaakob, 61, is a veteran politician who previously served as Yassin’s deputy prime minister and is the vice-president of the United Malays National Organization political party, which governed for decades until 2018 when, mired by major international corruption scandals centered around then-prime minister Najib Razak, it lost power in elections.
Muhyiddin resigned on Monday after 17 months in power, making him the shortest-serving PM in Malaysia’s history.
His government lost the support of an important coalition partner at a time of increasingly negative public opinion over the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis.
Muhyiddin first came to power in March 2020, just before a health emergency was declared in Malaysia.
The latest political crisis comes as the country battles with its worst Covid-19 wave so far, with more than 22,200 cases and 350 deaths reported daily. EFE
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