Malaysia is heading for its first-ever hung Parliament as coalitions led by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Muhyiddin Yassin are poised to fail to win a majority, fueling political uncertainty in an economy on a fragile rebound.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition was in the lead with 75 seats and there were 20 contests left to be called, according to local media Malaysiakini. That means no alliance would be able to get the 111 seats required from Saturday’s vote to immediately win a majority.
The result will extend a political crisis that has seen the government change three times in four years and hampered efforts to bring down the cost of living and rein in a growing deficit in the aftermath of spending to shield the economy from the pandemic.
