Malaysia's ruling coalition won six parliamentary seats unopposed yesterday as it formally began campaigning to clinch a two-thirds majority in general elections to be held next month.
Hundreds of political heavy-hitters and first-time aspirants filed their nomination papers to contest 222 parliamentary constituencies and 505 state legislature seats. The process officially marked the start of a 13-day campaigning period ahead of the March 8 ballot.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition got an early boost when no opposition candidates came forward to run for six parliamentary seats.
"I believe the people will be attentive to the National Front, which has brought peace and progress for 50 years," Abdullah said. "I would like this election to be free of troubles."
More than 1,000 government loyalists thronged a nomination center to support Abdullah as he filed his papers against a challenger from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), in his traditional stronghold of Kepala Batas in northern Penang state.
The National Front won 199 of 219 parliamentary seats in 2004, with only 19 seats taken by the opposition, including six by PAS and 12 by the ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party. Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's wife won the lone seat for her People's Justice Party. One seat went to an independent.
This time, the three parties have made a pact to field only one candidate in each constituency to avoid multi-cornered fights, which in the past benefited the National Front.
They hope to keep the National Front from attaining a two-thirds parliamentary majority, which enables the government to change the Constitution easily.
The 14-party National Front, which has governed since 1957, has acknowledged it will win fewer seats this time amid public complaints over rising inflation, crime and racial and religious tensions.
In recent months, several high-profile street protests have raised the political consciousness of Malaysians, awakening more people to ask questions about alleged government corruption and policies that some say are tantamount to racial and religious discrimination.
The National Front has the advantage of being backed by the pro-government mainstream media and is more cohesive and better coordinated than the opposition.
Opposition leaders have long complained that polls are steered against them through the gerrymandering of constituencies, vote-buying and use of bogus voters, charges the government denies.
A poor performance could undercut Abdullah's popularity as he targets a second five-year term as prime minister after succeeding longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad in 2003.
One of the fiercest contests is in Kelantan, controlled by PAS since 1990, making it the only one of Malaysia's 13 states not run by the National Front.
Hundreds of opposition members chanted Allahu Akbar (God is great) as PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat filed his nomination papers at a Kelantan school hall.
"Praise to God, I'm confident," Nik Aziz told reporters.
PAS won one Kelantan state seat uncontested when the National Front candidate was disqualified on technicalities.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
Polish presidential candidates offered different visions of Poland and its relations with Ukraine in a televised debate ahead of next week’s run-off, which remains on a knife-edge. During a head-to-head debate lasting two hours, centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing pro-European coalition, faced the Eurosceptic historian Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS). The two candidates, who qualified for the second round after coming in the top two places in the first vote on Sunday last week, clashed over Poland’s relations with Ukraine, EU policy and the track records of their