Malaysia faces hung parliament in tight election race

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November 20, 2022
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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the 15th general election in Bera, Malaysia’s Pahang state on Nov. 19, 2022. Malaysians were voting in a closely run general election on Saturday, a contest that may not end years of political instability as polls point to no clear winner in the Southeast Asian nation.

Mohd Rasfan | AFP| Getty Images

Malaysia was facing a hung parliament for the first time in its history as support for a conservative Islamic alliance prevented major coalitions from winning a simple majority in a general election.

Without a clear winner, political uncertainty could persist as Malaysia faces slowing economic growth and rising inflation. It has had three prime ministers in as many years.

Failure by the main parties to win a majority means a combination of them would have to build a majority alliance to form a government. Malaysia’s constitutional monarch may also get involved, as he has the power to appoint as Prime Minister a lawmaker whom he believes can command a majority.

Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition won the most seats in Saturday’s general election, results from the Election Commission showed.

The biggest surprise came from former premier Muhyiddin Yassin who led his Perikatan Nasional bloc to a strong showing, pulling support from the incumbent government’s traditional strongholds.

Muhyiddin’s alliance includes a Malay-centric conservative party and an Islamist party that has touted shariah or Islamic law. Race and religion are divisive issues in Malaysia, where the Muslim ethnic-Malay population makes up the majority and ethnic Chinese and Indians the minorities.

As of 1630 GMT, the Election Commission had announced results for 123 of the 222 parliamentary seats. Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance won 42 seats, while Anwar’s multi-racial coalition won 36.

Both Anwar and Muhyiddin claimed to have the support to form government, though they did not disclose which parties they had allied with.

Muhyiddin said he hoped to finish discussions by Sunday afternoon. His alliance is a junior partner in incumbent Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s ruling coalition and could work with them again.

Anwar said he would submit a letter to Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah detailing his support.

If Anwar clinches the top job, it would cap a remarkable journey for a politician who, in 25 years, went from heir apparent to the premiership, to a prisoner convicted of sodomy to the country’s leading opposition figure.

The election numbers

Malaysia has 222 parliamentary seats but polls were held only for 220 on Saturday.

The Election Commission said Anwar’s multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan coalition won a total of 82 seats, while Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance won 73 seats. Ismail’s Barisan coalition got 30. One seat was unannounced as of 2100 GMT.

“The key takeaway from this election is that Perikatan has successfully disrupted the two-party system,” said Adib Zalkapli, a director with political consultancy Bower Group Asia.

Barisan and Pakatan have long been Malaysia’s main blocs.

Barisan said it accepted the people’s decision, but stopped short of conceding defeat. The coalition said in a statement it remains committed to forming a stable government.

Veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad meanwhile was dealt his first election defeat in 53 years in a blow that could mark the end of a seven-decade political career, losing his seat to Muhyiddin’s alliance.

A record number of Malaysians voted on Saturday, hoping to end a spate of political uncertainty that has resulted in three prime ministers amidst uncertain economic times and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The political landscape has been rocky since Barisan lost the 2018 election after governing for 60 years from independence.

Anwar was released from prison in 2018 after joining with old foes Mahathir and Muhyiddin to defeat Barisan for the first time in Malaysia’s history, amid public anger at the government over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

That coalition collapsed after 22 months in power due to infighting over a promise by Mahathir to hand the premiership to Anwar. Muhyiddin briefly became premier, but his administration collapsed last year, paving the way for Barisan’s return to power with Ismail at the helm.

“In order to form the next government, Anwar must win an outright majority. Otherwise, even if he wins the most number of seats, the Malay-Muslim coalitions will come together to form the next government,” Oh said.

At least 70% of Malaysia’s 21.1 million eligible voters had cast their ballots by 4 local Pacific time (0800 GMT), the Election Commission said. It has not given the final tally.

Voter turnout in the previous election was one of the highest at 82%, but given the bigger pool of voters in this poll, Saturday’s turnout had already surpassed the prior election by nearly 2 million voters.

Higher turnouts typically tend to favour the opposition.

‘Hope for change’

Opinion polls showed significant numbers of undecided voters in the days before the vote.

Ismail said early on Saturday his coalition was targeting a simple majority, but would be open to working with others if it failed to do so. Anwar said he was cautiously confident.

The top issues are the economy, along with corruption, as several leaders from the Barisan Nasional coalition face graft accusations. Malaysians are also frustrated with the political instability, seen as hampering development efforts.

“I hope there’s a change in the government,” Ismat Abdul Rauf, a 64-year-old retiree, told Reuters. “There are many issues that need to be addressed – the economy, the wealth of the country, the people (guilty of) wrongdoing who are not being prosecuted.”

Barisan, dominated by the United Malays National Organisation, governed for 60 years, from independence until 2018, while Perikatan is a new bloc that has emerged as a strong third force with Malay voters’ backing.

Anwar was released from prison in 2018 after joining with old foe Mahathir and Muhyiddin to defeat Barisan for the first time in Malaysia’s history, amid public anger at the government over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.