Spotlight on Malaysia’s king to resolve election stalemate

By EILEEN NG
Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s king has failed to reach a decision on whom to pick as prime minister after meeting the leaders of two rival blocs, and summoned lawmakers from a political bloc that has held out its support. A general election last Saturday was supposed to provide stability after political turmoil led to three prime ministers since 2018. Instead, it produced no outright winner, leaving the nation with a leadership crisis. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Alliance of Hope topped the polls with 83 parliamentary seats, but failed to reach the 112 needed for a majority. He has been locked in a battle to form a majority government with former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, whose Malay-centric National Alliance won 72 seats.