In Malaysia, an unresolved general election resulted in the first-ever hung parliament.
Anwar Ibrahim, the head of the opposition, won the most seats, although his Pakatan Harapan coalition was still far from a majority.
With only 30 of the 178 seats it fought for, the ruling coalition, led by Ismail Sabri Yaakob, suffered its worst electoral loss ever.
Mahathir Mohamad, a seasoned politician, lost his seat and was defeated for the first time in 53 years.
At 97 years old, Mr. Mahathir has dominated Malaysian politics for decades. He was first Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and is credited with having sped up the nation’s economic development after the 1980s.
The country is now however politically unstable, having seen three prime ministers since voters went to the polls in 2018.
The former ruling party UMNO suffered its worst ever election performance. Voters instead turned to Perikatan Nasional and the conservative Islamic party PAS.
Rival parties must now present the name of a candidate they think has the majority support in the lower house of parliament.
The stalemate means the backing of parties from eastern Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, will be essential, and they are expected to press for a better deal for their region under Malaysia’s federal system.
“I am confident I will obtain enough support from lawmakers that will enable me to be appointed by the king as Prime Minister,” Mr Muhyiddin said, without suggesting which other parties might back him
Leave a Reply