Malaysian PM passes confidence vote

Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], December 20: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim passed a crucial confidence vote in the country's lower house of parliament on Monday.
The motion was passed via voice vote rather than a bloc vote, and the move cemented Anwar's position as prime minister.
The vote follows a memorandum of understanding signed by five political coalitions on Friday, with the heads of the coalitions agreeing to throw their weight behind Anwar and to ensure the unity government's stability.
Malaysia has been in a political stalemate following the indecisive results of a snap national poll on Nov. 19, with no political coalition or party securing enough seats in the lower house of parliament to form a government on its own.
The country's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah appointed Anwar, whose Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition won the most seats, on Nov. 24 as the new prime minister, and other political blocs rallied to support him soon after.
Source: Xinhua