Anwar was sworn in by the country's monarch at the royal palace on Thursday (24) evening, hours after the palace released a statement announcing the nomination.
His appointment ended five days of unprecedented post-election crisis, but could usher in a new instability with his rival, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, on Thursday (24) challenging him to prove his majority in parliament.
A general election on Saturday ended in an unprecedented hung parliament with neither of two main alliances, one led by Anwar and the other by Yassin, immediately able to secure enough seats in parliament to form a government.
Anwar's appointment caps a three-decade long journey from heir apparent to a prisoner convicted of sodomy to longtime opposition leader.
His Alliance of Hope coalition 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.
The decision on the prime minister came down to King Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, after both Anwar and Muhyiddin missed his Tuesday afternoon deadline to put together an alliance.
The constitutional monarch plays a largely ceremonial role but can appoint a premier he believes will command a majority in parliament.
Anwar finally 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 Islamisation under Muhyiddin and spark hopes that reforms for better governance will resume.
Source: www.france24.com
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