The opposition coalition claims to form a government

The risks of political instability in Malaysia have not gone away after the first stringent results of the legislative elections held on Saturday 19 November. The opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim claimed to form the next government. According to the official results, after the votes were counted on 219 seats in the candidacy, the Pakatan Harapan (Coalition of Hope) led by Anwar Ibrahim won 82 seats against 73 seats for the Pakatan National Coalition (National Alliance) led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

We now have the majority to form the government.Anwar Ibrahim told reporters at a press conference at dawn today after hectic negotiations overnight. After pressing who he would ally with, Anwar Ibrahim, 75, did not name Asma but said their commitments had been made in writing and would be submitted to the king for approval.

Or Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that he is leading the discussions to form the next government. We are ready to work with any party.The former prime minister told reporters.

The ruling coalition is far behind

Des analysts have mis en garde sur le risk d’une instabilité accrue dans ce multiethnique pays si aucune majorité franche ne se degageait du scrutin sur lequel le gouvernement, éclaboussé par un scandale de corruption, comptait au contraire pour asseoir his legitimacy dans ce pays d ‘Southeast Asia.

In this context, the small regional parties, particularly those of Sarawak and Sabah, on the island of Borneo, should be the kingmakers. The ruling Barisan National Coalition led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which was counting on these elections to consolidate its power, came in behind with thirty seats.

As for former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who had hoped to reach the age of 97 to seek a return to power, he was beaten in his stronghold on the island of Langkawi and lost his seat in parliament. who should end his political career.

A poll conducted by the Merdeka Institute on the eve of the election gave Mr Anwar’s coalition 82 seats out of 222 to be filled, with 33% of voters giving him their preference for the prime minister’s post. Eventually only 219 seats were put up for a vote as two candidates died and voting became impossible in one constituency due to bad weather.

Record turnout

Authorities said turnout was strong, with 70% voting two hours before work ended at 4pm local time. Long lines formed outside polling stations on Saturday despite the risk of monsoon rains, indicating a high turnout among the 21 million registered voters. People were seen on social media waiting outside a polling station in Deep Waters in Sarawak state on Borneo island.

For four years, this parliamentary monarchy has been rocked by political turmoil and government falsities that have led to three prime ministers succeeding each other in as many years. After the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia is facing an economic slowdown and spiraling inflation.

After more than sixty years in power, the historically dominant party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), was heavily sanctioned in elections and ousted from power in 2018, marking the first rotation in the country’s history. Then-Prime Minister Najib Razak, implicated in the embezzlement of several billion dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence. Omno only returned to work with a slim majority in 2021.

And hoping to consolidate his grip on power, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yacoub dissolved parliament and called snap elections, originally scheduled for September 2023. But the historically dominant party has been beset by its association with the vast corruption case, the 1MDB fund. It was to contribute to the development of the country. However, the money was transferred, among other things, to Najib Razak’s bank account.

The scandal has sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, where the financial institutions were allegedly used to launder billions of dollars.