KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, capping a three-decade political journey from a protege of veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad to protest leader, a prisoner convicted of sodomy and opposition leader.
His appointment ends five days of unprecedented post-election crisis, but could usher in a new instability with his rival, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, challenging him to prove his majority in parliament.
Both men failed to win a majority in a Saturday election, but the constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, appointed Anwar after speaking to several lawmakers.
Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah (2nd L), Malaysia’s Queen Azizah Aminah Maimunah (2nd R), Malaysia’s newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail pose after the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Nov. 24, 2022. (Mohd Rasfan/Pool via Reuters)
Anwar takes over at a challenging time: the economy is slowing and the country is divided after a tight election that pitted Anwar’s progressive coalition against Muhyiddin’s mostly conservative ethnic-Malay, Muslim alliance….