At 97, Malaysia’s Mahathir makes last election hurrah

By EILEEN NG
Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — At 97, two-time former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is back in the election race. He hopes his new ethnic Malay alliance, which he calls a “movement of the people,” could gain enough seats Saturday to make it a powerbroker. Analysts say it will likely be a spoiler party in a tight race. Once denounced as an autocrat, Mahathir was welcomed as a savior after leading the opposition to oust a long-ruling corruption-stained government in 2018 polls. He became premier a second time at 92 but his government fell in 22 months due to infighting. Mahathir is defending his seat and his bloc is fielding 116 candidates but his popularity has faded and campaigning has been lackluster.