Malaysian ruling party holds crisis talks after Mahathir quits

Mahathir on Monday urged other members of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to follow his lead by quitting the party to force the resignation of his successor, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

At an emergency meeting, UMNO lawmakers pledged their allegiance to Abdullah, who has faced mounting calls to take responsibility for March elections that produced the worst results in the party's history.

"Nobody has the right to use this dirty tactic to bring down a leader who was democratically elected. That is blackmailing the party," cabinet minister Nazri Aziz was quoted by AFP as telling reporters.

Nazri said the challenge was a "test of faith" for UMNO lawmakers and that none was planning to abandon the party which has dominated Malaysian politics since independence half a century ago.

Mahathir's son Mukhriz, who is a senior member of UMNO's influential youth wing, said Tuesday he would not be stepping down, in a move he conceded would disappoint his father.

He said he would instead continue to campaign for Abdullah's resignation from within UMNO, and that he had backing at the highest levels.

"My fear is that we will bring down the party if this leadership does not change," he told a press conference.

Senior voices in UMNO including Foreign Minister Rais Yatim urged Mahathir and Abdullah, who fell out soon after the succession took place in 2003, to meet and resolve their damaging row.

"The next few ...