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SEMPORNA: Malaysia’s embattled prime minister passed his biggest political test since taking office on Saturday with a narrow victory in key state elections, which could help strengthen his tenuous grip on power.
Analysts had warned that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s defeat in Sabah could have spelled the end of his rebellious coalition government, which came to power without elections in March.
In addition to his troubles, the vote came just days after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim launched an attempt to overthrow the Muhyiddin administration, claiming he had garnered enough support from MPs to take office.
Malaysia has been plagued by political turmoil since the collapse in February of a reformist government, which was headed by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and included Anwar, amid bitter infighting.
Muhyiddin seized power at the head of a coalition backed by a scandal-riddled party, which critics accuse of lacking legitimacy, and his administration has only a minimal majority in parliament.
Elections in Sabah were called after a Muhyiddin ally launched an attempt to take over the opposition-controlled local government. But instead of relinquishing power, the prime minister dissolved the state assembly.
After a very close campaign, a coalition of parties that supported the national government won 38 of the 73 seats in the legislature, the opposition won 32 and the rest went to the independents.
Muhyiddin praised the victory in a televised speech, saying that “it shows that the people of Sabah have confidence in all the candidates we put forward.”
While the result does not directly affect the balance of power at the national level, it was a key test of Muhyiddin’s popularity.
Had he got it wrong, the coalition partners could have withdrawn their support for his government and forced a quick national poll.
But Bridget Welsh, a Malaysian expert at the University of Nottingham, warned that her troubles were far from over.
“He passed the first major electoral test, but just barely,” he told AFP. “He’s still a man on borrowed time.”
Anwar’s power play has increased the pressure on Muhyiddin, but he doesn’t seem to have gained traction for now.
He has refused to reveal the number of MPs backing him, while the king, who appoints the country’s prime minister, has postponed an appointment to see him due to health problems.
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