Mahathir predicts former ally Najib's downfall in Malaysia vote

(April 12): The six-decade rule of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition may finally be nearing an end, according to Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister.

“We think the sentiment on the ground is so strong that we will get the support of the majority of the people,” Mahathir Mohamad, who left office in 2003, said in an interview in his Putrajaya office Tuesday. Once a staunch Najib ally, the 91-year-old Mahathir has spent the last two years campaigning for his removal amid a steady flow of corruption allegations that the premier has denied.

While the next election isn’t due until the middle of 2018, speculation is widespread in political circles that Najib will call a snap poll later this year as he seeks to extend six decades of unbroken rule for his coalition. Opposition groups are banking on the fact that rising living costs will undermine support for Najib.

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