The 94-year-old Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, has sent his resignation letter to the king, according to PM's office.
"The letter has been sent to His Royal Highness the King at 1 p.m.," Mahathir's office said in a statement.
The development comes shortly after an attempt by his allies to bring down the government and block the succession of Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's former rival.
Mahathir's party Bersatu has as well announced it was leaving the ruling alliance.
Earlier, the highest council of the governing coalition of Malaysia, the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), had ruled that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad could decide when to leave office.
In 2018, Mahathir took over as prime minister from the opposition coalition. Previously, he had led the government as head of the ruling party for 22 years (from 1981 to 2003). Mahathir and the coalition confirmed that after about two years, the leader of the People’s Justice Party, Anwar Ibrahim, will take over as prime minister. However, later, Mahathir said he was ready to remain in the post of prime minister for more than two years, if this is what the representatives of the public want.
Moreover, already at the end of last year, Mahathir did not rule out that he could remain in power until 2030. He promised that he would resign when he resolved the problems created by the previous government.