Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad abruptly submitted his resignation to the king on Monday after infighting in the ruling coalition over his successor came to a head, throwing the Southeast Asian nation into fresh turmoil.
The statement from his office contained no other details. It was unclear whether Mahathir would step down to form a new government, or to pave the way for a successor.
Earlier on Monday, Anwar Ibrahim — who is positioned to succeed Mahathir — said he had a “very good meeting” with Mahathir.
“Suffice that we are clear so far,” Anwar told reporters before joining a meeting of his People’s Justice Party. “It was a very good meeting and I am touched by his attitude and stance to not bow down to a group that wants to usurp power without setting an agenda of change.”
