Ex-Malaysia PM Mahathir, 96, stable in hospital: daughter

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was hospitalized for the third time in just over a month but his condition is stable, his daughter said Saturday.

The 96-year-old two-time former premier, once the world’s oldest leader, was admitted to the National Heart Institute on Thursday and was responding well to treatment, Marina Mahathir said in a statement.

“His condition is now stable,” she said, urging Malaysians to pray for his swift recovery.

Mahathir underwent an elective medical procedure at the same hospital on Jan. 7 and was discharged six days later. Last month, he was admitted for a full medical checkup and observation.

He has had two coronary bypass surgeries but was still robust and sharp witted. He led the opposition to a historic election victory in 2018 that was hailed for ousting a corrupt government in the first peaceful transfer of power since Malaysia's independence in 1957.

Mahathir became the world's oldest leader at 92 for a second stint but that triumph lasted only 22 months as his government collapsed due to infighting. But that didn't stop him, and Mahathir formed a new ethnic Malay party in 2020 to oppose the new leadership.