Muhyiddin Yassin is Malaysia's next prime minister

Jakarta, Feb 29: Muhyiddin Yassin will be Malaysia's next prime minister, announced the country's king on Saturday, saying he may have the majority support among lawmakers in parliament.

The appointment follows this week's shock resignation of Mahathir Mohamad, 94, as premier in a move that plunged the country into crisis.

The stunning turn of events come amid plans by Mahathir's supporters to team with opposition parties to form a new government and thwart the transition of power to his named successor Anwar Ibrahim.

The political drama unraveled Sunday with maneuvers aimed at keeping Mahathir in power and thwarting Anwar, replaying their decades-old feud.

Anwar was Mahathir's deputy during Mahathir's first stint as premier but fell out politically before reuniting in the political pact that ousted a corruption-tainted government in the May 2018 election.

Mahathir has refused to set a date to relinquish power despite a pre-election agreement to hand over power to Anwar.