Malaysia election 2022: tight race indicates hung parliament for first time ever

Both Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin claimed to have the support to form government, though they did not disclose which parties they had allied with
Malaysia’s constitutional monarch may also get involved, as he has the power to appoint as Prime Minister a lawmaker whom he believes can command a majority

Malaysia election 2022

Reuters

Published: 9:30am, 20 Nov 2022

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Malaysia’s political parties must each present the name of a lawmaker it thinks has the majority support in the lower house of parliament, the palace said on Sunday after no coalition secured a majority in Saturday’s general election.

The parties must submit names before 2pm (0600 GMT) on Monday, the palace said in a statement, adding that the king’s decision on the new government and appointment of the premier will be final, in line with the constitution. The ruler has the discretion to name the premier whom he believes commands the majority support of lawmakers.

The country’s rival blocs are seeking support from others to build a majority alliance to form a government. The king can appoint as prime minister a lawmaker he believes will command a majority in parliament.

The country is facing a hung parliament for the first time in its history.

Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a press conference on the official results of the Malaysian General Election. Photo: dpa

Long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition won the most seats in Saturday’s general election, results from the Election Commission showed.

The biggest surprise came from former premier Muhyiddin Yassin who led his Perikatan Nasional bloc to a strong showing, pulling support from the incumbent government’s traditional strongholds.

Muhyiddin’s alliance includes a Malay-centric conservative party and an Islamist party that has touted sharia or Islamic law. Race and religion are divisive issues in Malaysia, where the Muslim ethnic-Malay population make up the majority and ethnic Chinese and Indians the minorities.

Both Anwar and Muhyiddin claimed to have the support to form government, though they did not disclose which parties they had allied with.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (C) speaks during a press conference on the official results of the Malaysian General Election at a hotel. Photo: dpa

Muhyiddin said he hoped to finish discussions by Sunday afternoon. His alliance is a junior partner in incumbent Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s ruling coalition and could work with them again.

Anwar said he would submit a letter to Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah detailing his support.

If Anwar clinches the top job, it would cap a remarkable journey for a politician who, in 25 years, went from heir apparent, to the premiership, to a prisoner convicted of sodomy to the country’s leading opposition figure.

Election numbers

Malaysia has 222 parliamentary seats but polls were held only for 220 on Saturday, by-elections will be held for two constituencies later.

A coalition needs 111 seats to form a majority.

The Election Commission said Anwar’s multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan coalition won a total of 82 seats, while Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance won 73 seats. Ismail’s Barisan coalition got 30. One seat was unannounced as of 2100 GMT.

“The key takeaway from this election is that Perikatan has successfully disrupted the two party system,” said Adib Zalkapli, a director with political consultancy Bower Group Asia.

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Barisan and Pakatan have long been Malaysia’s main blocs.

Barisan said it accepted the people’s decision, but stopped short of conceding defeat. The coalition said in a statement it remains committed to forming a stable government.

Veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad meanwhile was dealt his first election defeat in 53 years in a blow that could mark the end of a seven-decade political career, losing his seat to Muhyiddin’s alliance.

A record number of Malaysians voted on Saturday, hoping to end a spate of political uncertainty that has resulted in three prime ministers amid uncertain economic times and the Covid-19 pandemic.

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High stakes in Malaysia’s first general election since 2020 coup

The political landscape has been rocky since Barisan lost the 2018 election after governing for 60 years from independence.

Anwar was released from prison in 2018 after joining with old foe Mahathir and Muhyiddin to defeat Barisan for the first time in Malaysia’s history, amid public anger at the government over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

That coalition collapsed after 22 months in power due to infighting over a promise by Mahathir to hand the premiership to Anwar. Muhyiddin briefly became premier, but his administration collapsed last year, paving the way for Barisan’s return to power with Ismail at the helm.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg