Mahathir Mohamad returns as Malaysia’s interim prime minister

• He accepted the Malaysian king's request to stay on until a successor is named.

A day after tendering his resignation, Mahathir Mohamad has returned as Malaysia’s interim prime minister on Tuesday.

The world’s oldest government leader, resigned on Monday, but returned as interim PM after agreeing to the king's request stay on until a successor is named. The king accepted Mohamad's resignation before appointing him as interim prime minister on Monday evening.

The fate of the ruling coalition was in doubt after talks between Mahathir’s party and other groups on forming a new government without Anwar Ibrahim. Ibrahim is the man who Mahathir had named as his successor. The interim PM had promised Ibrahim that he would succeed him as PM when the rivals partnered in an unlikely alliance that won power in 2018.

Following the meeting, Anwar, 72, accused Mahathir ’s party and 'traitors' from his own party of plotting a change in the ruling coalition that would exclude him from taking power.