Major milestones in the life of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will be installed tomorrow as Malaysia's prime minister when Dr Mahathir Mohamad retires after 22 years in power:

1939: Born in Kepala Batas in northern Penang state on Nov 26, the eldest of four children of a religious teacher and politician father and a housewife mother.

1964: Graduates with a degree in Islamic studies at Universiti Malaya and begins work as a civil servant. Joins the United Malays National Organisation (Umno).

1965: Marries Endon Mahmood. The couple has two children, Kamaluddin and Nori, and four grandchildren.

1969: Appointed as principal assistant secretary of the National Operations Council, which temporarily managed the country following bloody racial riots on May 13.

1978: Enters politics as member of parliament for Umno in Kepala Batas and begins fast-track rise through the ranks.

1981: Takes up his first ministerial post as minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

1983: Acting culture, youth and sports minister.

1984: Wins one of three vice presidency posts in Umno. Becomes education minister.

1986: Becomes defence minister.

1987: Sides with a rival camp challenging Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad during Umno polls. Mahathir wins and drops Abdullah from the cabinet in a reshuffle in May.

Although Mahathir's opponents set up a new political party, Abdullah stays on and retains his Umno vice-presidency. He works in a travel agency owned by his sister-in-law during this period in the wilderness.

1991: Rehabilitated by Mahathir and returns to the cabinet as foreign minister.

1993: Loses his Umno vice-presidency at party polls but retains his cabinet post.

1996: Wins back his Umno vice-presidency post. Undergoes a heart by-pass operation.

1999: Becomes Mahathir's fourth deputy premier and is named as home affairs minister in a cabinet reshuffle in January, just months after the sacking and detention of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

2000: Wins the Umno deputy presidency unopposed.

2002: Endorsed as successor to Mahathir, who announces his unexpected resignation during Umno's general assembly in June. - AFP