Palm | Kelapa Sawit

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will step down in June 2010, an influential news website said on Thursday.

Abdullah was expected to announce a handover to deputy premier Najib Razak at a party meeting on Thursday, the Malaysian Insider (www.themalaysianinsider.com) said, without citing its sources.

Abdullah laid out a timeline "because he believed that setting a date would bring some semblance of certainty to Malaysia and reduce the level of politicking which has upset many Malaysians and foreign investors", the report said.

The news website is run by several individuals known to be close to Abdullah.

A spokesman from the prime minister's office said he was unaware of any timetable for the premier to step down.