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Now that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has finally been appointed Malaysia's prime minister after much drama and turmoil, all eyes are on his Cabinet line-up which has yet to be announced six days after he was sworn in. And the challenges awaiting him are even more daunting.
For now, markets are elated that a government with two-thirds majority has been installed. But such stability is itself a fragile thing.
On the one hand, his Pakatan Harapan is backed by less than a fifth of the Malay majority, and the ethnocentric rhetoric from the vanquished Perikatan Nasional shows no sign of letting up.
On the other, this makes Umno a crucial partner in the so-called “unity government”. So much so that Mr Anwar must consider allowing those with corruption cases in Cabinet, such as Umno president Zahid Hamidi who is poised to become deputy premier.
Follow ST's coverage as we continue to bring you the latest developments.
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The making of Malaysia’s unity government: What went on behind the scenes
Umno’s push for Zahid to be DPM an early test of Anwar premiership
Handing Zahid a senior role in government would court controversy among the public and also within the new PM's own party.
Anwar’s comfortable majority could hit stormy weather
An Umno exit will cause seismic shocks through government in no small part because of the sudden dearth of MPs from the Malay-Muslim majority.
Fears linger over anti-Chinese social media posts after divisive election in Malaysia
Winners and losers in historic general election
Shadow of 2020 PH government collapse hangs over Anwar
The PM and his coalition have had to fend off PAS accusations of being anti-Islam and anti-Malay.
PAS president Hadi slammed for remarks seen as insulting monarchy
Using a football analogy, he spoke of a referee providing “extra time for the losing side” to “win by any means”.
Hurdles ahead for new PM Anwar as he builds Cabinet
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