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Malaysian parliamentary race begins

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.
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