KUALA LUMPUR-(MaraviPost)-Malaysia’s 97-year-old Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad lost his seat in Parliament for the first time since 1964 ending the career of one of Asia’s most enduring politicians.
The country’s election commission announced the results on Saturday, November 19, 2022 following weeks of unpredictable results of the elections.
According to the election commission, Mahathir came in fourth in a five-way fight in his long-held constituency in the holiday resort island of Langkawi.
During the elections, Mahathir scooped 4,566 votes representing less than the 12.5 per cent vote threshold required to keep his deposit as a candidate.
According to AFP report, Mahathir’s successor, Datuk Suhaimi Abdullah from Perikatan Nasional (PN), scooped 25,463 votes, representing 38.1 per cent followed by Barisan Nasional’s Armishah Siraj with 11,945 votes.
Mahathir’s loss comes despite widespread loyalty and appreciation for his contributions in Langkawi.
In 2018 General Election, Dr Mahathir won 54.9 per cent of the 34,527 valid votes defeating his one-time protégé, the then incumbent Najib Razak at the fiercely contested polls.
The nonagenarian served as Malaysia’s prime minister for more than two decades in two stints and had been criticised for ruling the Southeast Asian nation with an iron fist from 1981 to 2003 .
However, he is widely respected for bringing prosperity and development to the island by declaring it a tax-free haven in 1987, when he was Malaysia’s premier, a move which resulted into massive tourism investments, including an international airport, ferry services and luxury hotels.
He holds the Guinness World Record for being the “world’s oldest current prime minister” when he became premier for the second time in 2018.
