KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigned Thursday, April 2, after six years in office, clearing the way for his deputy to take over the post.
"PM Abdullah offered his resignation to the king," a senior official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity.
"The king is understood to have accepted it."
Abdullah's deputy Najib Razak also had a separate meeting with King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the royal palace on Thursday..
Najib was last Thursday officially declared president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the main party of the ruling National Front coalition.
He is due to be sworn in as prime minister on Friday, becoming Malaysia's sixth prime minister.
"The handover and swearing in of the new Prime Minister will take place as scheduled on Friday," a high-level government source told Reuters after Abdullah and Najib met the king.
Abdullah, 69, has been under mounting pressures to step down since the ruling coalition's setback in last year's elections.
Abdullah will be remembered for allowing more public freedoms than his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad.
But he failed to fulfill his promises to eradicate corruption, reform the judiciary, and strengthen institutions such as the police and the civil service.
Major Challenges
As he is readying to take the helm of power, Najib faces the enormous challenges to rejuvenate UMNO and cushion the country from the worst effects of the global meltdown.
"He will inherit a divided party with trust in the government at its lowest ebb and a strong opposition," political analyst Shahruddin Badaruddin told AFP.
He said Najib's challenge would be "to unite the fractured elements of the party."
UMNO leads the ruling National Front coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for more than half a century since the former colony gained independence from Britain in 1957.
The coalition of race-based parties were mauled by the opposition led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, which seized an unprecedented one third of seats in parliament.
The incoming prime minister has said he will focus on a program to unite the multi-racial nation.
"I think this new thrust will ensure there will be a fairer distribution of government allocations and assistance to all communities," he said Wednesday.
Najib is also facing the challenge of redressing Southeast Asia's third largest economy.
Malaysia has also been hit by slumping exports and manufacturing, with more than 26,000 people losing their jobs so far this year.
Industrial output fell 20.2 percent year-on-year, manufacturing sales sank 22.7 percent and exports plunged 27.8 percent to hit their lowest level since 2001.
Najib, who is also finance minister, has unveiled a stimulus package worth 16.2 billion dollars, but warned that the export-driven economy could shrink by 1.0 percent this year despite the massive spending.
Najib will face his first big test as prime minister next Tuesday with three by-elections that will be seen as a referendum on his fledgling leadership.
