Malaysian elections thrown wide open by record total of independents
Knife-edge Malaysian elections are thrown wide open by a record total of independents
Infighting over nominations has led to a record 79 Malaysian independent parliamentary candidates, further complicating predictions for an election already widely seen as too close to call.
Party discord has affected both the 56-year-old ruling coalition and the three-party opposition, which are waging a bitter fight for May 5 elections shaping up as the most competitive in Malaysian history.
Final nominations for 222 parliament seats were unveiled on Saturday, kicking off the two-week campaign.
But a slate of would-be candidates on both sides, including incumbents, have gone rogue as independents after being left off their parties' lists.
"Party discipline is important. We will issue letters today to sack those who contested as independents," Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday.
Other parties, including those within the opposition, have made similar announcements.
In some districts in the Muslim-majority country, candidates from different opposition parties, which had pledged to work together, will now face each other, threatening to split their votes.