KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Just a few months ago, the political machine led by Najib Razak, the gilded prime minister of Malaysia, appeared so indestructible that a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal seemed unlikely to derail it. The end came so quickly, so completely, that even his opponents were shocked. For nearly a decade, Mr. Najib, 64, had unfettered control of his nation’s courts and coffers. The media was at his disposal; journalists he didn’t like, he shut down. But his authority suddenly evaporated in the early hours after Malaysia’s national elections on May 9 delivered a commanding majority to the opposition, now led by the political titan who had once lifted Mr. Najib to power: the 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad.

Source: New York Times May 15, 2018 10:07 UTC