Malaysia’s opposition was thrown into fresh uncertainty on Tuesday by the surprise resignation of its coalition chairman, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, capping months of internal bickering over leadership with less than two years left before national polls must be held.
Muhyiddin, who formed the Malay nationalist Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in 2020 while he was still in power, made his announcement after rumours swirled overnight that he had bowed to pressure from coalition partners to step down.
“I wish all the best to PN’s top leadership and its coalition members,” Muhyiddin said in a brief statement, adding that his resignation would take effect on January 1.
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His departure marks the most significant upheaval in the federal opposition since PN slid into inertia after Muhyiddin and several other senior figures were charged with corruption, blunting the coalition’s momentum after it secured strong backing from Malay-Muslim voters in the 2022 general election.
PN leaders and supporters have accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of using the high-profile trials to weaken the opposition politically, a claim his government has denied.
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