Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will not step down as prime minister in 2020, dispelling rumours that he will step aside for Anwar Ibrahim next year.

He also said that at the moment, he is the only person capable of leading Malaysia.

Mahathir will not leave his post in 2020

The Malay Mail reported that in an interview recorded during the Asean Summit in Bangkok over the weekend, Mahathir was asked directly by a Financial Times reporter whether he would leave his post in 2020.

"No. There was no actual date or time mentioned. But the actual time that I will be there depends on the problems that we face," said the 94-year-old leader.

When asked whether Anwar was still his designated successor, Mahathir said "Yes" without hesitation, pointing out that he promised that it will be the case.

Made mistakes in appointing successors in the past

In response to rumours that he will not step down from the post, Mahathir explained that he needed to be more careful in appointing a successor due to his previous mistakes.

"I've made many mistakes in appointing my successors, so I don't want to make another mistake this time," said Mahathir, according to Business Insider.

Both Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak served as Malaysia's fifth and sixth prime minister respectively after Mahathir's first stint as prime minister, but Mahathir ended up criticising both men during their time in office.

Mahathir eventually launched campaigns to oust both men, even though they were his picks to succeed him as Malaysia's prime minister, according to Malay Mail.

Anwar himself was previously a protege of Mahathir, before the pair had a falling out and Anwar was jailed on charges of sodomy and graft in 1999.

When asked whether he was "the only person who is able to run Malaysia right now", Mahathir nodded and replied: "At the moment, maybe."

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Top image from Mahathir Mohamad's Facebook.