Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will take a two-month break after the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit here next month, a senior government official said today.

"He is going o­n a holiday abroad after the NAM summit. It is partly to rest," the official told AFP o­n condition of anonymity. He did not elaborate.

The NAM summit, involving 114 countries, will be held in the capital Kuala Lumpur from Feb 20-25.

On Tuesday, Mahathir told the CNBC cable television network that his deputy and anointed successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would lead the government during his break.

Mahathir, 77, who became Malaysia's fourth prime minister in 1981, has pledged to resign after hosting the Organisation of Islamic Conference summit here in October.

No change of plan

After 22 years in power, he said he would hand over to Badawi.

Asked today if he would change his mind if Malaysia's economy deteriorated, the veteran premier said: "No, I think I have put the economy as right as it can be. After this is somebody else's job."

Mahathir said he would "resign (as planned) and leave it to the new leader to pick his men for the next election" due in late 2004.

Two Malaysian opposition parties have predicted that polls will be held before the premier retires to capitalise o­n his status. The premier, who has not stated when the vote will be held, said in November he hoped he would retire first. - AFP