Malaysia's new prime minister Anwar Ibrahim vows to unify the country and fight corruption

New premier curate Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to marque "Malaysia for each Malaysians," combat corruption and reiterated that helium won't beryllium taking a wage arsenic Malaysians conflict rising costs of living. 

Anwar, who has campaigned for 24 years for the apical occupation successful Malaysia amid governmental coups and jailhouse sentences, said improving the Southeast Asian nation's system volition beryllium his priority. He added that China remains pivotal to Malaysia's economical interests. 

Fielding questions astatine a full-house property league aft being sworn successful arsenic the country's 10th premier curate connected Thursday, Anwar said helium would propulsion to marque Malaysia a spot that does not marginalize oregon neglect immoderate groups, including the eastbound states of Sabah and Sarawak. 

"[Earlier] my grandson asked maine however agelong person you got to hold [for the swearing-in ceremony]? I said not long, lone 24 years," helium said astatine the Sungai Long Golf and Country Club successful Kuala Lumpur. 

He said that contempt "trials and tribulations," and adjacent though others tried to "scuttle and frustrate" his pathway to the premiership, "I americium arrogant to accidental that we did execute — not for Anwar, not for the ministers, not [for] the enactment leaders but to springiness the caller consciousness of assurance to each Malaysians. It is their land, and it is their country."

"There are immoderate halfway issues that we volition ne'er compromise [on]," helium said, citing bully governance, anti-corruption issues and judicial independence.

"And, much importantly, the contented of the payment of the mean 'rakyat' which includes the contented of outgo of living," helium said, utilizing the Malay connection for citizens.

Congratulations poured successful from leaders from each implicit the satellite including Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 

As journalists waited for the property league to start, Anwar took a telephone telephone from Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who helium said had "waited 2 hours" to talk to him. 

The 2 leaders had an audible speech astir deepening bilateral relations. 

Anwar's long-time rival Mahathir Mohamad besides congratulated him connected societal media. In a alteration of tides, the former strongman, who led Malaysia for decades, mislaid his parliamentary spot successful the latest election. 

Anwar was lawman to Mahathir successful the 1990s but their narration ran afoul and Anwar was sacked and yet charged with sodomy.

When asked astir China during the property conference, Anwar said that helium would physique connected the narration with China conscionable similar helium would with different countries. 

"China is an important neighbor. It is simply a precedence to heighten bilateral relations with China, trade, investments. I volition not conscionable permission it arsenic this, I deliberation it needs to beryllium enhanced. Similarly, we request to subordinate to the United States, with Europe … with ASEAN," helium said, referring to the 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc.

Before helium tin execute caller policies, Anwar faces different trial adjacent period aft saying helium would array a question to clasp a assurance ballot connected the archetypal time of parliament connected Dec. 19. 

The risky determination comes arsenic his rival Muhyiddin Yassin, and person of competing conjugation Perikatan Nasional, continues to situation him connected impervious that helium had bulk support. 

Perikatan Nasional won 73 seats and was runner-up to Anwar's Pakatan Harapan which won 82 seats.

Anwar confirmed during the property league that successful summation to the seats his conjugation won, helium besides received enactment from Barisan Nasional which won 30 seats and Gabungan Parti Sarawak which won 23 seats. That takes him past the 112-seat elemental bulk needed to signifier a government. 

The predetermination connected Saturday produced a hung parliament for the archetypal clip successful Malaysia's history.

ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute elder fellow, Francis Hutchinson told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" connected Friday that connected apical of having the hard task of stabilizing the system and securing a cabinet, Anwar volition person to find a mode to triumph implicit voters who did not straight ballot for his conjugation Pakatan Harapan. 

"There are galore radical who voted for Perikatan Nasional, Bersatu and PAS that would beryllium feeling disenfranchised and near out," Hutchinson said. 

"So I deliberation that determination does request to beryllium immoderate benignant of effort to spell crossed and found wherefore these radical voted the mode they did, and wherever determination is communal ground."

When asked if Anwar had chopped a woody with Barisan Nasional to pardon jailed erstwhile premier curate Najib Razal successful instrumentality for getting their support, Hutchinson said: "We tin benignant of enactment Najib to 1 broadside for the moment" arsenic his condemnation was a effect of a precise broad ineligible process. 

Najib was sentenced to 12 years successful jail, aft being charged for his relation successful the embezzlement of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).