Malaysia King urges halt to political bickering as he picks new PM
The Hindu
The King, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, has ruled out a new general election because many parts of the country are COVID-19 red zones and health facilities are inadequate.
Malaysia's King called for an end to political bickering at a meeting on August 17, with party leaders as he began the process of selecting a new Prime Minister amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak. The resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday after less than 18 months in office followed mounting public anger over what was widely perceived as his government's poor handling of the pandemic. Malaysia has one of the world's highest infection rates and deaths per capita, with daily cases breaching 20,000 this month despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June. The King, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, has ruled out a new general election because many parts of the country are COVID-19 red zones and health facilities are inadequate.
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