SHAH ALAM • Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad will take on his hand-picked heir, Prime Minister Najib Razak, 64, at the country's next general election, after being named the opposition's candidate for premier yesterday.

Opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan unveiled an agreement among its member parties at its convention yesterday whereby Tun Dr Mahathir would become the country's seventh premier but would vacate the post for jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, 70, once Anwar became eligible to be appointed prime minister.

"It wasn't easy for me to join a movement that was not happy with me in the past, but the effort to topple Najib is greater than my feelings," Dr Mahathir, 92, said in a speech after his nomination. "Therefore, I am willing to cooperate and listen to the criticism towards my old party."

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