The appointment of DS Ismail Sabri Yaakob caps weeks of political upheaval, which prompted Muhyiddin Yassin and his entire cabinet to resign on Monday after 17 months in office amid mounting anger over his handling of the pandemic and the economy.
The appointment of Ismail Sabri, 61, marks UMNO’s come back to the country’s top post after just three years on the periphery. UMNO ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957 before it was ousted in 2018 in part due to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal.
Still, Ismail Sabri faces a tough road ahead to stay in the job: The palace said he must face a confidence vote in parliament as soon as possible. Even if he wins that, he must call another national election by 2023.
