Malaysia on knife-edge as parties submit choice for next leader

Ismail Sabri gets nod from UMNO and its allies, as opposition considers Anwar Ibrahim or former Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal for next prime minister.

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has backed former deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri as its candidate to become Malaysia’s next prime minister as opposition parties attempt to build support for their preferred candidate ahead of a Wednesday deadline for members of parliament to decide on who should get the job. The current monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah has decreed that the next prime minister’s majority be tested in parliament, according to local media reports quoting Shafie Apdal, president of the opposition Warisan Sabah party. Ismail Sabri, 61, was the deputy prime minister and defence minister in the administration of Muhyiddin Yassin who resigned on Monday amid political infighting and public anger over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.