Anwar holds in local elections in Malaysia, but opposition advances

No change of majority in the six states where votes were cast, but Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional gains support. The government coalition formed after the uncertain outcome of last year's national vote is weighed down by the poor result of UMNO, now reduced to a marginal party. The premier: 'The government will move forward'.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Malaysia's ruling coalition retained control of three of the six states called to the polls in regional elections on Saturday, 12 August. But official results showed a conservative opposition gaining popularity in its challenge to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The elections in the states of Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah were seen as a referendum of sorts on the government of Anwar, who leads the country with the support of a broad but diverse coalition after last November's general election failed to produce a clear majority.

On paper, the election result maintains the status quo, with both coalitions retaining the three states they controlled before the dissolution of local assemblies. But an analysis of the results in each state tells a different story, showing how Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional - an Islamist-inspired force in the opposition in the national parliament - has eroded the government's power in Selangor (the state surrounding the capital Kuala Lumpur) and Penang.

Weighing in the backwardness of the ruling coalition is the new bad result of UMNO, the party that has dominated Malaysia's political scene since independence in 1957 and ruled Malaysia for decades. In the Malay majority states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, it has been reduced to a marginal role: of the 108 seats that UMNO and its National Front (Barisan Nasional) coalition partners contested, it won only 19.

While Anwar can therefore still count on two-thirds of the seats in the national parliament, a redefinition of the balance of power in the coalition in which UMNO has its leader Ahmad Zahid among the deputy prime ministers and several key ministries cannot be ruled out.

In response to the results, Anwar told reporters that the ruling coalition "will continue to work hard to serve the people in line with our desire to grow Malaysia".

Photo taken from Anwar Ibrahim's X profile

• Malaysia
• Kuala Lumpur
• Anwar Ibrahim
• Umno
• Muhyiddin Yassin