Mahathir to meet Malaysian king

Mahathir to meet Malaysian king

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's leader for 18 years, was to meet the king on Wednesday in the first step toward his swearing-in as prime minister, election officials said.

Mahathir was assured of a fifth consecutive term after his National Front coalition won Monday's parliamentary elections, retaining its two-thirds majority with a campaign that focused on economic and civil stability.

He proclaimed his triumph early on Tuesday to thousands of cheering members of his United Malays National Organization party, the linchpin of the 14-component coalition.

The 73-year-old leader was scheduled to meet with Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah on Wednesday, the national Bernama news agency reported.

Traditionally, the leader of the newly elected parliamentary majority informs the monarch of the victory and seeks assent to form a government.

The report did not specify when Mahathir's reinstatement ceremony would be held. Mahathir was scheduled to fly to the northern resort island of Langkawi later on Wednesday to attend an air show.

Just hours after Mahathir's National Front coalition retained its two-thirds majority in Parliament, stocks on the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Composite Index opened with brief gains but dropped 1.3 percent to 736.30.