Malaysia elects its PM, Mahathir to be world’s oldest elected leader

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has created history by defeating the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has been in power for 60 years, in the general election. In the closely contested election, the opposition alliance won 115 seats, surpassing the threshold of 112 seats needed to form a government, the Election Commission said on Thursday.

92-year-old Mahathir, a former mentor to incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak, will become the oldest elected leader in the world. He left the BN in 2016 following allegations of rampant corruption and joined the opposition Pakatan Harapan. Mahathir reportedly said he will be sworn in as Malaysia's Prime Minister later on Thursday.