Mahathir’s family had wanted him to take a step back from politics and “continue as a statesman”, according to a Pejuang leader who declined to be named. However, he added: “I’m not sure if that is indeed the reason (for his resignation).”
Several reports state that Mahathir remains the chairman of Gerakan Tanah Air, a loose coalition of Malay-based parties, NGOs, academics as well as professionals, that he formed before the general election.
GTA fielded 158 candidates in the elections, of whom 116 vied for parliamentary seats. They contested under the Pejuang banner but all lost.
Mahathir and his son, Mukhriz, were among 369 general election candidates who lost their deposits, after polling less than one-eighth of the votes cast in Langkawi and Jerlun respectively.
Mahathir only obtained 4,566 votes in a five-cornered fight in Langkawi, with Perikatan Nasional winning the seat.
Mahathir was president of Umno and chairman of Barisan Nasional from 1981 to 2003 during which time he was also prime minister. He left Umno in 2016 and co-founded Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), which was part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition with PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko.
He left Bersatu in 2020 after Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin led the party into forming a coalition government with PAS and Barisan Nasional. Mahathir co-founded Pejuang later that year.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram