Ismail Sabri is sworn in as Prime Minister of Malaysia before the King

Ismail Sabri Yaqoub, former deputy prime minister, was sworn in as Malaysia's new prime minister here on Saturday.

Ismail Sabri, dressed in traditional Malaysian clothes, was sworn in before the King of Malaysia, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmed Shah, in the presidential palace.

Ismael Sabri, 61, was the vice president of the United Malaysian National Organization (UMNO) and had served as defense minister in the government of former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin before his appointment as deputy prime minister in July.

The King of Malaysia chose the former Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaqoub as Prime Minister, ending a prolonged political crisis in the country suffering from the Corona pandemic.

Bloomberg news agency reported that Ismail Sabry, 61, will be sworn in on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the royal palace, which said he had the support of 114 deputies in the 220-member parliament.

The statement came after the king met with other royal rulers of the country to discuss the situation, and the Ministry of Health announced today, Friday, that more than 23,000 cases of Corona virus were recorded for the first time, which is the third consecutive day in recording a new record, bringing the total recorded cases to 1.5 million cases. This is despite the country being in the seventh month of a state of emergency and going through several closures.

The appointment comes after weeks of political turmoil that led to the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin and his entire cabinet on Monday after more than 17 months in the position, amid mounting anger over his handling of the pandemic and the economy.

"His Majesty expressed his views that with the appointment of the prime minister, the government will continue efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic immediately for the sake of the comfort and safety of the people and the well-being of the country, which has been severely affected by this crisis and epidemic threat," the palace said in a statement.

The king plays a largely ceremonial role, but appoints the prime minister based on who he thinks has a majority in parliament.

Once appointed, the new prime minister will face a vote of confidence in parliament as soon as possible, the palace said in a statement on Wednesday.

The king said today that he hopes that the appointment of Ismail Sabry will lead to an end to political instability in the country.

Sabri's appointment as prime minister marks the return of power to the UMNO, the dominant faction in the coalition that ran Malaysia from independence until a shock electoral loss three years ago, caused in part by corruption allegations against the party's former prime minister, Najib Razak.

The slim majority that Ismail Sabry obtained could be quickly shaken if he considers corruption cases involving party colleagues such as Naguib, or in the case of marginalizing powerful party rivals when it comes to appointing ministers.