Malaysia’s ruling party wins big again in state polls, in boost for national election

The Barisan Nasional (BN) took 40 of 56 seats, claiming a two-thirds majority in the Johor state elections

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri will be under tremendous pressure now to call for early general elections not due till July 2023

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Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s party defeated its allies in the ruling party and the opposition to score a landslide victory in a second state election. Photo: dpa

Published: 12:09pm, 13 Mar 2022

A scandal-plagued Malaysian political coalition won a sweeping victory in local polls in Johor state on Saturday, giving it a boost ahead of expected national elections due next year.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) took 40 of 56 seats, claiming a two-thirds majority in a contest that saw 239 candidates vying for control of the southern state’s legislature.

A woman casts her vote during a state election. AP: Photo

The powerful bloc has been riding strong since the fall of a reformist government led by Mahathir Mohamad in early 2020, which collapsed due to infighting.

The BN – through the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), its dominant member – controlled Malaysia for more than 60 years until an election defeat in 2018, following a string of corruption scandals.

But the coalition has since returned to the political forefront by aligning itself with other parties, even if those alliances have been uneasy at times, and the win in Johor gives it an added boost, an analyst said.

“It’s going to have not only a boost but it’s actually going to serve as the foundation for a new general election,” Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia expert from the University of Nottingham said.

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