Malaysia elections: Mahathir Mohamed leads Opposition to historic victory

Former Malaysian prime minister and opposition candidate Mahathir Mohamad (C) celebrates with other leaders of his coalition during a press conference following the 14th general elections in Kuala Lumpur on early May 10, 2018.

Former Malaysian prime minister and opposition candidate Mahathir Mohamad (C) celebrates with other leaders of his coalition during a press conference following the 14th general elections in Kuala Lumpur on early May 10, 2018.   | Photo Credit: AFP

Malaysia's Opposition alliance headed by veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 92, has scored a historic victory, official results showed on Thursday, ending the six-decade rule of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

The results from the Election Commission showed the Opposition grouping, Pakatan Harapan, plus a party in the Borneo state of Sabah they are allied with, winning 115 seats — over the threshold of 112 seats needed in parliament to form a government.

Mr. Mahathir, who will become the world's oldest Prime Minister, came out of retirement to take on Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has become embroiled in massive corruption scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB.

“We are not seeking revenge, we want to restore the rule of law,” Mr. Mahathir said as he declared the victory.