Former Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Gains Support for New Government Amid.
The leader of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, Muhyiddin, claimed to have gained the backing of two Borneo-based regional blocs. With it, his alliance’s seat total would increase from 73 to 101, falling just shy of the necessary 112 majorities.
He stated, “I am convinced I will gain enough support from MPs that will enable me to be nominated by the monarch as Prime Minister,” declining to specify which other parties may do so.
Anwar Ibrahim, the longtime head of the opposition, is vying for the support of other organizations even though his Pakatan Harapan coalition won 82 seats in the election on Saturday.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Barisan Nasional alliance suffered its worst electoral defeat ever in the inconclusive election, taking home just 30 of the 178 seats it competed for.
It prolongs the political unrest in the country of Southeast Asia, which has had three prime ministers in as many years, at a time when inflation is on the rise and economic development is decreasing.
The unrest is a reflection of a change in a nation that had long been among the most stable in a region that had had its fair share of military coups, bloody political upheavals, and insurgencies.
One of the Borneo regional blocs, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, declared it was prepared to cooperate with Muhyiddin and the current Barisan alliance to create a government.
Malaysia‘s king, whose position is mostly ceremonial but has the authority to name a legislator as prime minister he feels would command a majority, may be required to participate in forming a government. The palace asked the parties on Sunday to offer the name of a legislator they believe has a majority by 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Monday.
Race and Revelation
On Saturday, a record number of Malaysians voted, rejecting Ismail’s multi-ethnic Barisan coalition, led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the country’s dominant political force for decades.
Race and religion are contentious topics in Malaysia, where the bulk of the population is Muslim Malays, with significant ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
The Islamist PAS party under Muhyiddin’s Perikatan grouping was a significant victor in the election, winning the most seats of any one party.
Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, deputy managing director of political risk consultant BowerGroupAsia, stated, “I think what we learned here is that the country is more split.”
The Perikatan coalition won Mahathir Mohamad’s seat, ending his 53-year winning streak as Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister. Muhyiddin took office as prime minister in 2020, but after his administration fell apart in 2017, Ismail and Barisan were able to retake control.
