As Malaysia's federal constitutional monarchy holds its 15th general election on 19 November, a month after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved the country's parliament, the race is expected to be a tight one, with three leading coalitions jostling for power.
The Southeast Asian nation’s 21.1 million eligible voters will head to the more than 9,000 polling centers on Saturday to cast their ballot for lawmakers in the 222-seat lower house and regional legislatures. The parties and coalitions hoping to form a government in a single bloc will need 112 seats.
The general elections come in the wake of protracted political instability since the 2018 polls, which were fraught with infighting and resulted in the nation having three prime ministers since that time.
The head of the party winning the majority of votes normally becomes prime minister. The states of Malacca, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah have already held their vote and will not participate in the Saturday election.
Here are several key aspects of the tightly contested election.
Who are the Frontrunners in Malaysia's General Elections?
Hoping to win a strong mandate in Malaysia's general election are three main political forces: the ruling National Front coalition, led by current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's United Malays National Organization (UMNO); the Perikatan Nasional, or National Alliance coalition under the leadership of Muhyiddin Yassin; and the opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim.
The history of Malaysia's largest and oldest political party, UMNO is linked to the recent 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, that implicated former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is currently behind bars, serving a 12-year sentence.
Former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), or Alliance of Hope multiethnic coalition has enjoyed growing support, according to surveys. However, recent forecasts suggest it will not manage to secure a majority. Ibrahim's party revelled in its 2018 victory over the National Front, but internal strife brought down the coalition, led at the time by Mahathir Mohamad.
Several other polls indicated that the Barisan Nasional, or the National Front alliance, could put in a strong showing. Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Malay-based bloc - Perikatan Nasional - is deemed to be something of a dark horse. Yassin's party, the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (abbreviated to Bersatu) clinched an alliance with the Malaysian Islamic Party along with the Malaysian People's Movement Party.
The National Front currently wields 19 percent of the federal assembly seats, with the National Alliance having 21 percent and the Hope Pact holding 41 percent.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
© ARIF KARTONO
Who is Voting in Malaysia's General Election?
A rogue element in this general election is the youth vote since the constitutional amendment of 2019 lowering the legal voting age from 21 to 18. This, in effect, added an estimated 1.4 million voters aged between 18 and 21 to the overall electorate of about 21.17 million.
One novel aspect of the campaigning ahead of the elections has reportedly been a markedly broad use of social media platforms, such as TikTok, to woo these new voters. Another departure has been automatic voter registration (AVR).
Voters line up at a polling station during the general election in Permatang Pauh, Malaysia's Penang state, on November 19, 2022.
© ARIF KARTONO
What Are the Voter's Top Concerns?
Government honesty is one of the key concerns after the turmoil that has recently tainted the political spectrum in the Southeast Asian country. The economy and growing cost of living are also seen as important concerns for the electorate.
Heavy rains could play a role in the voting, as flooding has already hit parts of the country. Malaysia's king Abdullah of Pahang (full name Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah) decreed that elections must be held before the seasonal floods. The Northeast monsoon typically hits the nation between November and March. In a slight tweak to the timeframe, voting has been extended by the Election Commission from nine to 10 hours. Results of the general elections are expected to start coming through some time late on Saturday.