News analysis

Rift over gay sex video stalls Malaysia's power transition

Stalemate follows rival PKR factions' moves to control who succeeds Mahathir as premier

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

The growing rift in Malaysia's largest ruling party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), over a gay sex video allegedly implicating its deputy president Azmin Ali has stalled efforts within the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to accelerate succession plans for when Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad steps down.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he agreed with Tun Dr Mahathir that there is no need to makes changes to the Cabinet at present.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 22, 2019, with the headline Rift over gay sex video stalls Malaysia's power transition. Subscribe