- Malaysian opposition leaders have enough backing to form a new government.
- Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition won 82 seats in Saturday’s election.
- The two sides agreed on a separate alliance to administer northern Perak after the polls.
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin say they have enough backing to create a new government after the weekend’s election failed to address political turmoil.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition won 82 seats in Saturday’s election, and he said it could lead.
He and other PH leaders met BN rivals at a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Monday. The two sides agreed on a separate alliance to administer northern Perak after the weekend poll.
Muhyiddin said his Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, which placed second with 73 seats and is dominated by PAS, had enough support from other MPs to form a government. He shared a photo of a meeting with one of the Borneo leaders whose backing he needs.
To create a government, a party or coalition needs 112 of 222 parliamentary seats. Malaysia’s constitutional monarch gave MPs an extra 24 hours to find consensus on Monday, after setting a deadline for 2pm local time.
PH needs only BN’s 30 seats to establish a government.
Muhyiddin requires Borneo parties and BN for parliamentary majority.
Sarawakian leader Abang Johari Openg said Borneo parties and BN decided to endorse Muhyiddin.
Borneo leaders advocate for autonomy and power devolution, says political expert Oh Ei Sun. I think political calculations on which coalition to join are more about politicians’ entrenched interests than the people’s livelihoods and wellbeing.
BN’s position complicates things.
After Abang’s statement, UMNO president and BN leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi indicated the coalition wasn’t part of the pact. He reminded coalition members of their pledge to back their president’s actions.
Most senior coalition members attended Monday’s meeting with PH, including Zahid. Zahid said any action would need BN’s highest decision council’s approval. BN legislators requested the king for additional time before Monday’s meeting.
UMNO is pressuring Zahid to quit after BN’s abysmal result in an election he reportedly urged Ismail Sabri to call.
Zahid is also on trial for corruption, and surveys show he’s unpopular. Former defense minister Hishammuddin Hussein wrote on Facebook that he couldn’t support BN-PH collaboration.
Since PH won the 2018 election and ousted BN from power for the first time since Malaysia’s independence, the country has been plagued by political instability.
PH ruled for two years despite opposition from conservative nationalist Malays, but the government disintegrated in February 2020 after an internal power struggle.
Muhyiddin, a PH defector, became prime minister with BN’s support.
Muhyiddin was replaced by Ismail Sabri a year after the COVID-19 outbreak began.
PH received 5.81 million votes, PN 4.67 million, and BN 3.43 million in Saturday’s election. A constitutional change gave 18-year-olds the right to vote and automatic voter registration, increasing doubt over the outcome.
The election’s PAS surge surprised many and sparked concerns about Malaysia’s future direction in a country where race and religion are volatile.
Tricia Yeoh, chairman of the Malaysian think-tank IDEAS, said Al Jazeera the party’s success was the “biggest surprise”
She expected them to do well in rural areas and on the east coast, but they’re now the largest party in parliament.
Malaysia has a Malay Muslim majority with considerable Chinese, Indian, and Indigenous groups.
Maaf buat teman-teman tunggu lama. Saya harap semua dapat bersabar dan doakan yang terbaik buat negara. pic.twitter.com/J1UhCNh15C
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) November 20, 2022
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