Former Malaysian leader has his party de-registered on the eve of elections
Kuala Lumpur — On Thursday, Malaysian authorities de-registered the party of veteran former leader Mahathir Mohamad, who is trying to unseat scandal-hit Prime Minister Najib Razak at upcoming elections. The 92-year-old Mahathir, who was premier for 22 years, came out of political retirement last year to spearhead the opposition challenge to his former protégé, Najib. Local media reported the country’s registry of societies has ordered his new Bersatu party to disband for 30 days for not fulfilling a notice requesting party details. The party runs the risk of being permanently disbanded if it does not comply. However, Bersatu officials said the move would not stop them from taking part in the polls which are expected in weeks. Najib is fighting to win a third term at the head of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has governed Malaysia since independence in 1957. He has been battling allegations that billions of dollars were looted from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund he founde...
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