Former Malaysian leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who extended political freedoms, dies at 85

A hospital in Kuala Lumpur says former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has died aged 85. He was being treated for heart disease at the Institut Jantung Negara. He was a moderate who extended the country’s political freedoms but was criticized for lackluster leadership. Abdullah was hospitalized in April 2024 with a collapsed lung and his family had said in 2022 that he had worsening dementia. Abdullah served from 2003 to 2009, when he was pressured to resign to take responsibility for the governing coalition’s dismal results in national elections. He kept a low profile after leaving politics.