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Malaysia PM at palace to meet king amid reports he will resign.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was seen entering the national palace on Monday amid reports he will tender his resignation, media reported.

Muhyiddin lost his majority after months of infighting in his coalition. read more

Writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Martin Petty

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KJ: Cabinet has tendered resignation, may God bless Malaysia

LIVE | Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has clocked in this morning to his office for what is expected to be the final hours before his resignation.

He is conducting a special cabinet meeting at his office in Putrajaya and is expected to proceed to the Istana Negara for an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

His resignation is expected to follow shortly after. Follow Malaysiakini for live updates.

Malaysian PM seen at national palace amid expectation of resignation

Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin speaks during opening remarks for virtual APEC Economic Leaders Meeting 2020, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 20, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was seen entering the national palace on Monday amid reports he will tender his resignation to the king, after months of political turmoil that resulted in him losing his majority.

Muhyiddin's hand has weakened after months of infighting in his coalition and is expected to step down on Monday, according to media reports. Muhyiddin's office did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on Monday.

If confirmed, Muhyiddin's resignation would end a tumultuous 17 months in office, but could also hamper Malaysia's efforts to reboot a pandemic-stricken economy and curb a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, as there is no obvious successor.

Malaysia's ringgit currency fell to a one-year low and the stock market (.KLSE) slipped.

It was not immediately clear who could form the next government, given no one has a clear majority in parliament, or whether elections could be held during the pandemic.

Malaysia's infections and fatality rates per million people are the highest in Southeast Asia.

The decision is likely to be thrust into the hands of constitutional monarch King Al-Sultan Abdullah, who can appoint a prime minister from among elected lawmakers based on who he thinks is most likely to command a majority.

Muhyiddin, who has for weeks defied calls to quit, informed party members that he will submit his resignation to the king on Monday, according to Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, a minister in the prime minister's department, news portal Malaysiakini reported on Sunday.

The minister did not respond to a request for comment.

The prime minister convened a special cabinet meeting on Monday morning, state news agency Bernama reported. Reuters journalists saw Muhyiddin arrive at the national palace.

His resignation could return the premiership to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysia's 'grand old party', which was voted out in a 2018 election after being tainted by corruption allegations.

The top two contenders for the premiership or interim prime minister's post include deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and veteran lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, both from UMNO.

Muhyiddin's grip on power has been precarious since he took office in March 2020 with a slim majority. Pressure on him mounted recently after some UMNO lawmakers - the largest bloc in the ruling alliance - withdrew support.

Muhyiddin has said the recent crisis was brought on by his refusal to meet demands including the dropping of corruption charges against some individuals.

UMNO politicians, including former premier Najib Razak and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, are facing graft charges. They have denied wrongdoing and were among those who withdrew support for Muhyiddin this month.

Additional reporting by Rozanna Latiff, Liz Lee and Ebrahim Harris Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle

Source: Reuters

Malaysia PM Muhyiddin to resign on Monday - report

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will resign on Monday, news portal MalaysiaKini reported, after he lost his majority due to infighting in the ruling coalition.

The resignation, if confirmed, would end a tumultuous 17 months in office for Muhyiddin but also bring more uncertainty to Malaysia as the country grapples with a Covid-19 surge and economic downturn.

It was not immediately clear who could form the next government as no lawmaker has a clear majority in parliament, or if elections could be held in Malaysia amid the pandemic.

It would be up to the constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, to decide what happens next.

Muhyiddin will submit his resignation to the king on Monday, according to Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, a minister in the prime minister's department, Malaysiakini reported on Sunday.

Reuters could not immediately reach Mohd Redzuan. The prime minister's office did not immediately respond.

Mohd Redzuan said Muhyiddin informed party members of his decision to resign as he had exhausted all other options to sustain the government.

"Tomorrow, there will be a special cabinet meeting. After that, he will head to (the palace) to submit his resignation," Mohd Redzuan told Malaysiakini.

Muhyiddin's grip on power has been precarious since he came to power in March 2020 with a slim majority. Pressure on him mounted recently after some lawmakers from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party - the largest bloc in the ruling alliance - withdrew support.

The premier had for weeks defied calls to quit and said he would prove his majority in parliament through a confidence vote in September.

But on Friday, Muhyiddin admitted for the first time he did not have a majority and made a last ditch effort to woo the opposition by promising political and electoral reforms in exchange for support on the confidence vote. The offer was unanimously rejected.

The king has the constitutional power to appoint a prime minister from amongst elected lawmakers based on who he thinks can command a majority. He picked Muhyiddin as premier last year after the unexpected resignation of Mahathir Mohamad.

Source: Bangkok Post