Political woes resurface as ruling party loses key state

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is set to hold its first state-wide snap election under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s leadership, after political infighting led to the collapse of a state controlled by his party.

Malacca must elect a new state government within 60 days, setting the stage for Mr Ismail’s first popularity test among voters. The king named Mr Ismail the nation’s third premier in less than two years in August after determining he had the backing of the majority of the members of parliament.

The fall of Malacca’s government shows that Mr Ismail’s appointment has done little to quell the unrest within the ruling coalition since its unexpected return to power last year. Four assemblymen in the state on Monday said they had lost confidence in the chief minister, leading to the dissolution of the legislative assembly. Three of them are either members of Mr Ismail’s party, the United Malays National Organisation, or its ally Bersatu.

A state-wide election may still be deferred should the king issue an emergency decree in Malacca, as was done in Sarawak three months ago due to the pandemic. This is to avoid a repeat of the spike in Covid cases following the Sabah state polls last year, which fueled public anger against former premier Muhyiddin Yassin and led to the fall of his government in August.

About 64% of Malacca’s population has been fully inoculated as of Monday, according to the health ministry data.