Palace congratulates new Malaysian prime minister

MANILA - Malacañang on Friday, May 11, congratulated Mahathir Mohamad, a former authoritarian leader who has been sworn in as Malaysia's prime minister.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. welcomed the victory of Mahathir, whom he described as the Philippines' "old friend."

"We wish to congratulate Mahathir Mohamad on his return as Prime Minister of Malaysia," Roque said in a statement.

"Prime Minister Mahathir is an old friend of the Philippines and his fresh mandate augurs well for the deep relations between the Philippines and Malaysia," he added.

Mahathir succeeded Malaysian Prime Minsiter Najib Razak after official results found that the former's coalition secured 113 seats, one more than the number required to rule.

Mahathir, a former strongman of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, won for the second time at the age of 92. He is the world's oldest head of state.

Roque expressed con-

fidence that the Philippines will establish a "strong" partnership with Malaysia under Mahathir's leadership.

"Malaysia, as we all know, is a brother nation and dependable partner of the Philippines for having played a constructive role towards the attainment of peace and stability in Mindanao," the Palace official said.

"We are thus confident that the strong partnership between our countries would continue to be enhanced in the years to come," he added.