KUALA LUMPUR • Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that he would not be contesting the general election if it is to be held in 2023, as he would be 98 years old then.

He was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying that he would then be willing to offer advice to the new party he has set up, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air. But the 95-year-old statesman did not indicate if he would stand in the election if it is held soon.

The next general election is due in 2023, but there is widespread talk that it could be held in the next few months. The government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has a slim majority in the 222-seat Parliament, and last Wednesday, opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim said he had enough MPs behind him to form a new government.

Hours later, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the president of Umno - a party allied to Tan Sri Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional - said "many" of his party's lawmakers are supporting Datuk Seri Anwar.

Tun Dr Mahathir's Pejuang party has five MPs, including himself. He has submitted an application to register it.

Asked by reporters in his constituency of Langkawi if there was a need to dissolve Parliament for a general election to be held following the latest political development, Dr Mahathir said the Covid-19 situation posed a threat to the plan. "I am confident that if the general election is held now, many people will be affected by Covid-19, many will die," Bernama quoted him as saying. "The question is whether we give priority to politics or the people's lives."