KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reiterated that his appointed successor will be Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and not Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) in Bangkok, the Langkawi Member of Parliament (MP) reaffirmed his commitment to step down before the next general election.

SMH reported that when asked if he would definitely pass the baton to Mr Anwar instead of economic affairs minister, Mr Azmin, Dr Mahathir replied; “Yes I will.”

“Although there are lots of other people who have been asking me to carry on until the next election, but that is their view. My commitment is to step down before the next election, certainly,” he added.

Dr Mahathir, however, again avoided providing a timeframe for the power transition, a key issue which has been used by critics against him.

“I cannot say whether it is two years or three years, but I will certainly step down as I promised,” he said.

Dr Mahathir is currently in Bangkok for the 35th Asean Summit hosted by Thailand this year.

He has repeatedly said that he will not renege on his promise to step down for Mr Anwar to take over as prime minister amid a surge of calls for him to stay on from both sides of the political divide.

Among those who have openly expressed support for Dr Mahathir to stay PM till the end of the Pakatan Harapan mandate include Mr Azmin, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president, and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, along with several United Malays National Organisation (Umno) MPs. MALAY MAIL