Malaysia parties scramble for coalition allies

Parliament majority gets to choose the next prime minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Rival Malaysian political blocs on Monday tried to woo smaller parties to form a coalition government after the weekend’s general election that saw major gains by a conservative Islamist party.

One of Southeast Asia’s biggest economies saw three governments change in as many years before this stalemate, and the next one faces major challenges including soaring inflation.

No party has emerged with a clear majority. Veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin both claim they have the numbers to control parliament.

To break the impasse, parties have been told to submit their preferred prime minister and coalition partners to the king’s palace by 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Monday.