Mukhriz Mahathir loses confidence of Kedah assemblymen, resigns as Chief Minister

A PAS assemblyman will take over as Chief Minister.

Sulaiman Daud | May 17, 2020, 12:36 PM

Mukhriz Mahathir, son of former Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, has resigned from his post as Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of the state of Kedah.

He announced his decision on Sunday, May 17. Mukhriz stated, according to The Star:

"With this announcement, I relinquish my position with immediate effect."

PAS man to replace Mukhriz

Mukhriz's replacement will be Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, an assemblyman and a member of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

Sanusi will be sworn in as the new Chief Minister before the Sultan of Kedah, also on May 17.

The political moves began on Tuesday, May 12, when two assemblymen from People's Justice Party (PKR) quit and announced their support for the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

PN assumed power after Muhyiddin Yassin, the current Prime Minister, led a breakaway faction of Bersatu out of the previous Pakatan Harapan coalition.

This meant that Mahathir no longer commanded the support of a majority of MPs and resigned as Prime Minister.

Both Mukhriz and Mahathir are members of Bersatu, although they have not declared support for Muhyiddin or the PN.

Second resignation for Mukhriz

Sanusi announced that a majority of Kedah assemblymen had lost confidence in Mukhriz as Chief Minister.

Another majority of assemblymen then proposed Sanusi for the job.

Mukhriz previously served as Kedah's Chief Minister from 2013 to 2016 before resigning, reportedly under pressure from then-Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Photo by Adli Ghazali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images