A coalition led by Malaysian prime minister won a big victory on Saturday in a state election considered a key test for national polls to be organized next year.
The National Barisan (BN) took 40 of 56 seats, claiming a two-thirds majority in a competition that saw 239 candidates competing for control of the Southern State Legislature.
the powerful block has been running strong since the fall of a reformist government directed by Mahathir Mohamad in early 2020, which collapsed due to infighting.
The BN – through the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), son dominant member – controlled Malaysia for more more than 60 years until an electoral defeat in 2018, following a chain of corruption scandals.
But the coalition has since returned to the forefront of the political scene by aligning with other parties, even though these alliances have been uneasy timeset the win in Johor gives him a added booster, a analyst noted.
“He’s going to not only get a boost, but he’s actually going to serve as a foundation for a new general elections”, Bridget Welsh, a Malaysian expert from the University of Nottingham, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“It’s a recalibration of the whole political landscape where you’re going to have a new push back of UMNO to hegemonic power.”
Videos posted on social media showed BN supporters chanting “dissolve parliament”to their leaders like the results were counted late Saturday.
Among those campaigning in Johor was former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been condemned of corruption linked to looting of the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Facing a 12-year jail termNajib expects a final appeal to the highest court in the land as facing two other ongoing trials related to 1MDB.
the battle for Johor, which borders Singapore, was a showdown between BN, its partners in the national government and various opposition parties.
the result was another setback for veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s pact of To hope coalitionwho ruled the state after the 2018 elections. This time he won only 12 places.
Anwar’s Alliance also did wrong in two state polls last yearlosing many seats to BN and its allies.
Johor was the fourth state to hold elections in Southeast Asian nation in two years, while political unrest since 2020 has seen two new prime ministers take power and the fall of three state governments.
Except one or two exceptions, state polls in Malaysia normally takes place next to national those, held once within five-year term.
the government and the opposition have previously agreed not to dissolve parliament for national the polls until July to focus on the coronavirus pandemic.
But recent victories have encouraged BN leaders to push for national polls, which are expected by mid-2023 in latest.
