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KUALA LUMPUR – The largest party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition said it was considering withdrawing, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin amid a challenge from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar met with the country’s king on Tuesday to show that he has the parliamentary majority to form a new government and called on Muhyiddin to resign.
The Muhyiddin administration has survived with a two-seat majority in parliament since it came to power in March. The United Malaysia National Organization (UMNO), the largest party in its coalition, said it wanted to renegotiate the terms of its support for the ruling coalition, Perikatan Nasional.
“The UMNO is considering withdrawing support for Perikatan Nasional (PN) and will present new conditions to the PN government to continue political cooperation, in writing as soon as possible,” the party’s general secretary, Ahmad Maslan, said in a statement on Tuesday night.
He did not say what new terms the UMNO party was looking for.
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Party members were increasingly unhappy about playing a supporting role in Muhyiddin’s Bersatu party despite being the largest party in the coalition, UMNO sources told Reuters.
UMNO was defeated in the 2018 elections, its first defeat since Malaysia emerged from British colonial rule more than 60 years ago.
But he returned to power in March by forming an alliance with Muhyiddin’s Bersatu party after the collapse of the Mahathir Mohamad-led coalition.
UMNO had said last month that some of the party’s lawmakers supported Anwar’s run for president.
King Al-Sultan Abdullah is ready to decide the next steps in Malaysia’s power struggle, which comes as it grapples with an economy hit by the novel coronavirus and a new surge in infections.
The king will meet with party leaders to verify Anwar’s claim of support, Anwar said.
