Muhyiddin Yassin sworn in as Malaysia's new prime minister

By Agencies Published: Mar 01, 2020 11:40 AM

Muhyiddin Yassin arrives at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 1, 2020. Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has agreed with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the country's new prime minister who was scheduled to be sworn in on Sunday. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Muhyiddin Yassin, a former deputy prime minister, took the oath of office on Sunday to become Malaysia's new prime minister.

Muhyiddin was appointed following the abrupt resignation of 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, who had been in office since the general elections in 2018.

TV live-broadcast showed that Muhyiddin, wearing traditional Malay clothes, pledged to serve the country and the people well before Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at the national palace.

The ceremony was attended by Muhyiddin's political allies.

Muhyiddin, 72, had served as deputy prime minister under former Prime Minister Najib Razak from 2009 to 2015. He later co-founded Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) with Mahathir and served as its president, joining the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to win the general election in 2018.

He served as home minister in Mahathir's cabinet.