Mahathir Mohamad says the opposition parties who won a shock victory in Malaysia's elections have a clear mandate to form a new government and he expects to be sworn in as prime minister on Thursday.
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He disputed outgoing premier Najib Razak's assertion that the king must appoint the new prime minister because no single party has a parliamentary majority.
The constitution, Mahithir said, only specifies that the prime minister must represent those with a majority in the legislature.
In a lively news conference, the 92-year-old former prime minister flagged sweeping changes for Malaysia.
He vowed to cancel an unpopular goods and service tax imposed since 2015 and criticised a recently introduced "fake news" law. The government could also renegotiate the terms of Chinese loans for infrastructure projects.
Mahathir said the new government would seek the release and full pardon of Anwar Ibrahim, an opposition icon imprisoned on sodomy charges that Anwar and his supporters said were fabricated by the National Front to crush the opposition.
Najib Razak, who led the ruling National Front coalition to a historic loss on Wednesday, has conceded defeat.
At a televised press conference, Najib said, "I and my colleagues accept the verdict of the people."
"The national front will respect whatever decision is made by the king," he said.
"I urge all Malaysians to be calm and to trust the king's wisdom to make the best choice."
Opposition parties, led by Mahathir, tapped into anger over a corruption scandal involving Najib and a new tax to end the National Front's 60-year hold on power.
Australian Associated Press