Malaysia's king has sworn in Najib Abdul Razak as the country's sixth prime minister, a day after Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigned to take responsibility for the ruling party's worst election showing in four decades. Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, the country's constitutional monarch who accepted Abdullah's resignation on Thursday, swore Najib in on Friday at the palace in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.Najib, the son of a former prime minister, swore to "fulfil the obligations of this post with honesty" and "pour my full loyalty into Malaysia and preserve, protect and defend the constitution".
He faces a myriad of challenges, including an economy badly hit by the global downturn and racial divisions in the country.And in a sign that he will not enjoy a "honeymoon" period that many leaders do on taking office, the three parties forming the opposition alliance sent a joint petition to the king asking him to delay Najib's swearing-in over allegations of corruption and links to a murder case.
Abdullah, who took office in 2003, was pressed to step down following a dismal performance by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in last year's general elections.
The BN, which has been in power since independence in 1957, failed to maintain its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time in 40 years, and also lost control of an unprecedented five states.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
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