
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia -- The decision on when Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad steps down will be made only after he chairs the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, the ruling coalition's presidential council determined late Friday night.
The council gave Mahathir its confidence to decide on the timing after the summit, and the issue of nemesis-turned-ally Anwar Ibrahim becoming his successor will not be addressed at this time, the 94-year-old prime minister said at a late-night news conference.