The Pakatan Harapan government then appeared to be stable, having commanded a two-third parliamentary majority. But as Dr. Mahathir was pushing 95 as the world's oldest head of government, the question of succession inevitably cropped up. Anwar Ibrahim, the Pakatan Harapan founder and Dr. Mahathir's deputy during the latter's first turn as prime minister, was eager to assume the prime ministerial mantle soonest. The ruling Pakatan Harapan was supposed to hold a political meeting the next day to lay out the Mahathir-Anwar succession plan, including the timeline. That in essence deprived the Pakatan Harapan government of its parliamentary majority, and Dr. Mahathir decided to resign his premiership.
