Malaysia's opposition coalition on Sunday named 92-year-old former premier Mahathir Mohamad as its prime ministerial candidate for a general election that must be called by August.
With the country's most popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in jail, Mahathir is seen as the biggest threat for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is engulfed in a corruption scandal.
Mahathir, who earned a reputation during his 22-year tenure as prime minister of being a no-nonsense authoritarian with little time for dissenters promoting liberal values, stands to become the world's oldest leader if the opposition wins.