In a major upset Malaysia’s veteran leader Mahathir Mohammed suffered his first election defeat in 53 years
Mahathir aged 97, who served as Malaysia's prime minister for more than two decades in two stints, failed to retain his parliamentary seat in the Langkawi island constituency, coming in fourth in a five-cornered fight.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (The HQ News) – In a major upset Malaysia’s veteran leader Mahathir Mohammed suffered his first election defeat in 53 years on Saturday being his first election loss since 1969.
Mahathir aged 97, who served as Malaysia’s prime minister for more than two decades in two stints, failed to retain his parliamentary seat in the Langkawi island constituency, coming in fourth in a five-cornered fight.
Mahathir Mohammed leads a coalition that has vowed to take down the incumbent Barisan Nasional government over corruption allegations – but his alliance is not considered a key contender, with Barisan facing two other major coalitions – Muhyiddin’s bloc and the second led by Mahathir’s long-time rival Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahatir Mohammed had told media this month that if he lost in elections he will retire from politics: “I don’t see myself being active in politics until I’m 100-years-old,” he said. “The most important thing is to transfer my experience to the younger leaders of the party.”
The seat was won by Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, a candidate from the Perikatan alliance, which is led by another former prime minister of Malaysia, Muhyiddin Yassin.