Malaysia heads for hung parliament amid tight race
MAHATHIR MOHAMMAD DEALT HIS FIRST ELECTION DEFEAT IN 53 YEARS
Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took a narrow lead in Saturday’s general election, though he and his main contenders were far short of a simple majority needed to form the government, early results from the Election Commission showed.
Former premier Muhyiddin Yassin took an early close second, while Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s ruling coalition put up the weakest showing among the three main contenders, losing ground in traditional strongholds, the results showed.
A record number of Malaysians voted on Saturday to end a recent spate of political uncertainty that has seen three prime ministers lead the country in as many years amid an economic slowdown and the Covid-19 pandemic.
No clear winner
But the election looked unlikely to produce a clear winner as none of the three main contenders came close to the majority needed to form a government.
Of the 177 of 222 parliamentary seats counted, the Election Commission said Anwar’s multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan coalition was leading with 61 seats, while Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance won 60 seats. Ismail’s Barisan coalition got 24. If Anwar clinches the top job, it would cap a remarkable journey for a politician who in 25 years has gone from heir apparent, to the premiership, to a prisoner convicted of sodomy, to the country’s leading opposition figure.
Muhyiddin’s alliance, which includes a Malay-centric conservative party and an Islamist party that has touted Sharia, is a junior partner in Ismail’s ruling coalition and is contesting the national election for the first time. Malaysia’s veteran leader Mahathir Mohammad meanwhile was dealt his first election defeat in 53 years in a blow that could mark the end of a seven-decade political career, losing his seat to Muhyiddin’s alliance.
Barisan said it accepted the people’s decision, but stopped short of conceding defeat. The coalition said in a statement it remains committed to contributing to the formation of a stable government.