Mahathir told a news conference he expected to be sworn in as prime minister later on Thursday. Few had expected Mahathir to prevail against a coalition that has long relied on the support of the country's ethnic-Malay majority. Mahathir has promised to seek a royal pardon for Anwar if they won the election and, once Anwar is free, to step aside and let him become prime minister. Ethnic-Malay Muslims have long tended to support BN for affirmative-action policies that give them government contracts, cheap housing and guaranteed university admissions. POLARISING FIGUREMahathir is a polarising figure and many voters are suspicious of him because of his iron-fist rule as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.

Source: bd News24 May 09, 2018 15:56 UTC