MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER RESIGNS

Abdullah Badawi's motorcade drove in for an appointment with the king, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and left the palace after about an hour.

Asked by its reporter what happens now that he has resigned, Abdullah said: "It's up to his majesty now."

The government is expected to issue a statement to officially announce his resignation later.

Deputy prime minister Najib Razak will be sworn in as the new prime minister on Friday, the government said, in a carefully planned power transition that has been a year in making.

The king has already consented to Najib's appointment, said the government's chief secretary, Mohamad Sidek Hassan.

Abdullah, 69, who took office in October 2003, was pressured to step down after the ruling National Front coalition suffered its worst results ever in general elections a year ago.

On Thursday, Malaysian newspapers paid polite tributes to Abdullah's time in office, noting his achievements but some columnists also wrote candidly about his failures.

Abdullah will be remembered for allowing more public freedoms than his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad, who was known for his semi-authoritarian rule during his 22 years in office. But Abdullah also failed to fulfil his promises to eradicate corruption, reform the judiciary, and strengthen institutions such as the police and the civil service.

Conservatives in the ruling party also blame Abdullah's attempts to provide greater freedom of speech for the massive gains made by the opposition in the March 2008 general elections.