Kuala Lumpur: Reformist opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim moved closer to becoming Malaysia’s new prime minister after a political party agreed to support a unity government following general elections. Any agreement must still be approved by the King of Malaysia. Last Saturday’s divisive election led to a hung parliament that renewed a leadership crisis in Malaysia, which has had three prime ministers since 2018. Police have tightened security across the country as social media warned of racial trouble if Anwar’s multiracial bloc wins.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan, or Alliance of Hope, topped the race with 82 parliamentary seats, one short of the 112 needed for a majority. The Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional or National Alliance of former Prime Minister Muhyiddin won 73 seats. The coalition led by the United Malays National Organisation, which holds 30 seats, holds the key that will tilt the balance.
UMNO reversed its decision to remain in opposition, saying it would consider the king’s proposal for a unity government. UMNO secretary-general Ahmed Maslan said on Thursday that the party’s highest decision-making body has now decided to support a unity government not led by Muhyiddin’s camp. He said the party would accept any unity government or any other form of government decided by the king.
Read also: Biden vs Trump: Who will re-occupy the White House after the 2024 US presidential election?
UMNO holds 26 seats and the other four are held by constituents in its National Front coalition. It is unclear whether other party members have agreed to go along with UMNO’s decision.
If all 30 National Front MLAs support Anwar, he will get a majority. Anwar already has the support of a smaller party with three seats on the island of Borneo. Overall, it will get 115 parliamentary seats.
If Anwar takes up the top post, it will help allay fears of the rise of right-wing politics in the country. Muhyiddin’s bloc includes the hard-line Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, which has 49 seats, more than double the number it won in 2018. Known as PAS, it supports Islamic Sharia law, governs three states, and is now the largest party. Malay Muslims make up two-thirds of Malaysia’s 33 million people, which include large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
Read also: Elon Musk calls for ‘General Amnesty’ for suspended Twitter accounts
King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmed Shah will hold a meeting with the royal families of the nine states on Thursday and consult them on the impasse. Malaysia’s hereditary state ruler, who rotates as the country’s monarch every five years under a unique rotation system, is highly regarded by the country’s Malay majority as a custodian of Islam and Malay tradition.
Anwar’s reformist coalition won the 2018 elections, marking the first regime change since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957. Muhyiddin’s government was beset by internal rivalry and he resigned after 17 months. UMNO leader Ismail Sabri Yacoub was then chosen by the king as prime minister. Many rural Malays fear they may lose their privileges under Anwar with greater pluralism. Fed up with corruption and infighting in UMNO, many voted for Muhyiddin’s faction in Saturday’s vote.