Mahathir to announce new Malaysian cabinet Friday

The main beneficiary of a protest vote by ethnic Malays was the Opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia, which more than tripled its parliamentary seats to 27, captured Terengganu and held on to neighbouring Kelantan. Analysts will be looking at the new line-up for clues to Mahathir’s successor after the sacking and jailing of heir apparent Anwar Ibrahim left no obvious candidate.

Current deputy premier is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi but Mahathir has failed to endorse him unequivocally as his successor. Of the other possibles touted by the media, Education Minister Najib Tun Razak barely scraped home in his seat and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah — a former Mahathir opponent now officially back in the fold — failed to regain the state Assembly despite his vigorous campaign in Kelantan. Diplomats expect Second Finance Minister Mustapa Mohamed, who lost his seat, to be brought into the new cabinet via appointment to the upper house senate.

There has been stock market talk that Razaleigh may be a candidate for Finance minister since incumbent Daim Zainuddin has said he wants to retire. But analysts and diplomats expect that if Razaleigh is offered anything, it will be a lower-ranking cabinet job. Bernama predicted that Deputy Primary Industries Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, the acting UMNO youth Chief, would be made a full minister.