Malaysian Prime Minister; Muhyiddin Yassin and his entire cabinet resigned on Monday, following a rise in the spike of covid-19 cases in the country. This marks the end of a 17-month rule.

There was a public outcry over the Malaysian government’s handling of the coronavirus.

For now, Mr Muhyiddin will continue to steer the Southeast Asian country through the worst wave of the virus yet, as he remains as interim premier until a successor is appointed. Raja said that elections will not be held in the country during the pandemic, he will be left to appoint the next leader, according to Reuters.

The resignation plunges Malaysia even deeper into political turmoil while it struggles with one of the world’s worst-hit viruses. According to a New York Times database, the country of about 32 million people has had an average of more than 20,000 cases per day over the past 14 days, and only 33 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The total death toll from the pandemic in the country is at least 12,510.

Mr. Muhyiddin pledged in a nationally televised address that the entire population would be vaccinated by the end of October, According to The Straits Times.

He also said that he accepted that he had lost political support. “I will not conspire with felonies, or interfere with the judiciary, or turn my back on the Constitution to stay in power,” he said.

Mr Muhyiddin took power in March 2020, when 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was ousted as prime minister after two years of being voted out. A veteran nationalist politician, Mr Muhyiddin was linked with a scandal-tainted governing coalition that dominated the country for more than 60 years before Mr Mahathir’s electoral success.

Taking office with a slim majority as the coronavirus crisis began to roar, Mr Muhyiddin used the pandemic to mobilize his power and limit the ability of opponents to challenge. But demands for his resignation gained momentum as the country issued several lockdown orders, thwarted its vaccine rollout and endured widespread hunger.