NEW YORK, Sept 27 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would bow out as prime minister before the next general election.

The 94-year-old Malaysian prime minister came to power for the second time following his Pakatan Harapan coalition’s victory in the May 2018 general election.

"I promise that I would step down before the next election and give way to another candidate. So I may have at the most three years perhaps,” he said at a dialogue held at the Council on Foreign Relations here yesterday.

During that three years, Dr Mahathir said that he needed to accomplish a few things.

He is in town for the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The prime minister said work was very tough now and that he was currently working 18 hours a day.

"This is because I don’t have much time,” said the Pakatan Harapan chairman who is renowned for being a hardworking individual. — Bernama