Malaysia’s beleaguered prime minister has arrived at the palace for a meeting with the king and is likely to quit after losing enough support to rule, according to media reports. The likely resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin comes less than 18 months after he took power and will plunge the country into a fresh crisis amid a worsening pandemic.

Political leaders have already begun to jostle for the top post, with his deputy Ismail Sabri rallying support to succeed Muhyiddin and keep the government intact. Muhyiddin’s government already had a razor-thin majority before a dozen lawmakers from his alliance pulled their support. His last-ditch plea for opposition backing Friday was rejected.

It was not straight away clear who could form the next government, given no one has a clear majority in parliament, or whether elections could be held during the pandemic. Malaysia's infections and fatality rates per million people are the highest in Southeast Asia.  If confirmed, Muhyiddin's resignation would end a tumultuous 17 months in office, but could also hamper Malaysia's efforts to reboot a pandemic-stricken economy and curb a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, as there is no obvious successor. Malaysia's ringgit currency fell to a one-year low and the stock market slipped. The decision is expected to be thrust into the hands of constitutional monarch King Al-Sultan Abdullah, who can appoint a prime minister from among elected lawmakers based on who he thinks is most likely to command a majority.

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