Malaysia's Mahathir returns as interim PM amid political uncertainty

KHAIRUL ARIFFIN / PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE OF MALAYSIA / AFP

A day after putting in his resignation, Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad returned to office on Tuesday as the interim prime minister.

Mahathir, who at 94 is the world's oldest government leader, has reportedly agreed to a request from Malaysia's king to stay on until a successor is named.

It wasn't immediately clear when a new cabinet would be appointed or how the next government would be formed.

On Monday, Mahathir had disbanded his entire cabinet after submitting his resignation to the king. 

It came amid confusion over whether he would keep his pre-election promise to share the seat of power with Anwar Ibrahim during his five-year term.

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