Mahathir Mohamad has been sworn in as prime minister of Malaysia again after a shock election victory, 15 years after he stood down.
Supporters waved flags and cheered outside the Istana Negara palace in Kuala Lumpur as took the oath inside.
The former strongman who governed for more than two decades has become, at 92, the world’s oldest elected leader.
He came out of retirement and defected to the opposition to take on and beat former protege Najib Razak.
His historic win ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has been in power since independence in 1957.

What was the scale of the victory?
Dr Mahathir took his oath of office before the king, Sultan Muhammad V. The new prime minister was accompanied by his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohammed Ali.
Investment analyst Aninda Mitra told Reuters news agency the shock of the election outcome had been as great as “Brexit and the Trump election”.
Official results show Dr Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition secured 113 of the 222 seats being contested, including some which have only ever been held by the government. BN took 79 seats.
Dr Mahathir said his coalition would not seek revenge but would “restore the rule of law”. He also announced a two-day public holiday, adding: “But there will be no holidays for the winners.”
Rising living costs and long-running allegations of corruption had weighed heavily on many voters and saw them peel away from Mr Najib and his once unshakeable coalition.

How are people taking Mahathir’s return?
“We feel so united tonight,” student Abdul Aziz Hamzah, 24, told AFP news agency in the crowd outside the palace. “Mahathir is so insightful and experienced because he’s been here before.”
Fahmi Fadzil, an MP from the winning coalition, told the BBC Dr Mahathir inspired excitement about Malaysia’s future.
“Today he has created, along with other Pakatan Harapan leaders, a resurgence in faith in Malaysia,” he said.
“The polling centres that I visited, there was a sense of euphoria among people who cast their vote. Members of the press that I had met, some of them said that they cried when they heard that we had won.
“There is very real change happening in Malaysia. Finally we can believe in the country again.”

 

Source: BBC