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FILE - In this April 23, 1982, file photo, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad raises his hands in triumph as his deputy Musa Hitam, left, places a sash on him in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mohamad led the ruling National Front to a landslide victory in general elections. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo, File)

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FILE - In this 1981, file photo, Malaysia's former Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn, left, greets his successor Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mahathir, a maverick in the early days of his political career who survived expulsion from the dominant United Malays National Organization party, was the first commoner to become prime minister of Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo, File)

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FILE - In this June 21, 1999, file photo, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gets off his car as he arrives to the grand new administrative capital for his first working day in Putrajaya, south of Kuala Lumpur. Mahathir, a maverick in the early days of his political career who survived expulsion from the dominant United Malays National Organization party, was the first commoner to become prime minister of Malaysia.Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

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FILE - In this March 28, 2009, file photo, Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, center, raises hands with then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, right, and then Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak at the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) general assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

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FILE - In this June 20, 1998, file photo, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, right, stands with then his deputy Anwar Ibrahim during an annual meeting of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

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FILE - In this Feb. 13, 1996, file photo, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad tours the site of the Petronas Twin Towers, background, shortly after officiating a topping-out ceremony for the 88-story structures in Kuala Lumpur, Malasia. (AP Photo/Mike Fiala, File)

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FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2003, file photo, Mahathir Mohamad, second from left, waves as he leaves the prime minister's office in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

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FILE - In this March 8, 2011, file photo, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad listens to a question during the official launch of his memoir entitled "A Doctor In The House" at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

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FILE - In this July 1, 1999, file photo, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, center, arrives at Bukit Mertajam, the home state of Anwar Ibrahim, making his first stop on a nationwide election campaign tour in Penang Island, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

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FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, arrives for a rally by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

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FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2002, file photo, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad waves as he arrives for a meet-the-people session in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Malaysia’s former strongman Mahathir has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that’s seeking to end his former party’s 60-year hold on power. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File)

AP PHOTOS: Political career of Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 1:42 PM ET May. 09, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's former strongman Mahathir Mohamad has returned to the political ring, coming out of retirement after 15 years to unite an opposition that's seeking to end his former party's 60-year hold on power.

Mahathir, one of Asia's longest-serving leaders, ruling for 22 years until stepping down in 2003, is leading an unprecedented challenge to his scandal-tainted protege, Prime Minister Najib Razak, in May 9 elections.

A maverick leader credited with transforming the Southeast Asian backwater into a modern economy, Mahathir, though, dominated the country in stifling ways.

The 92-year-old Mahathir said he has come back to oust Najib and to atone for his past mistakes.