Malaysia's prime minister narrowly won a vote to remove the parliament speaker during a rowdy session of the legislature yesterday, a key test of support for the embattled leader. The Southeast Asian nation has been gripped by turmoil since a reformist government collapsed in February and Muhyiddin Yassin became premier, at the head of a coalition backed by a scandal-plagued party. He took power without an election, and there had been speculation he did not have sufficient support from MPs to hang on to power. But in a closely watched vote as parliament resumed following a break due to the coronavirus pandemic, his motion to remove the speaker won the support of 111 MPs against 109 for the opposition. It was the first time that a speaker had been removed in such a fashion in Malaysia.