The flags of Perikatan Nasional party and Pakatan Harapan near a polling station in Malaysia.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s allies were trounced in a regional election, results showed on Sunday, a grim first electoral test for the leader after three years in office.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won just one of the 20 seats it contested in Sabah, down from the seven it held previously in the eastern state on Borneo island.
“The Sabah election outcome shows Anwar’s coalition lost badly,” said Lee Kuok Tiung, an associate professor and political analyst at Universiti Malaysia.
Saturday’s election was the first of a series of regional polls that will test Anwar’s support ahead of national elections due by early 2028 in the Southeast Asian nation.
Despite PH’s setback, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah – a coalition of state-based parties aligned with Anwar’s ruling bloc – retained control of Sabah, one of Malaysia’s largest and poorest states. GRS faced pressure over its ties to Anwar’s coalition as sentiment grows for greater state autonomy.
Anwar congratulated GRS leader Hajiji Noor on his reappointment as Sabah chief minister, saying the federal government “fully respects the strong and clear message” of the state’s voters.
“They are demanding real change after being faced with injustice and neglect by almost all parties,” Anwar said on social media on Sunday.
He did not address the drubbing his PH allies had taken. His office declined to comment.
Lee said Sabah voters valued regional-based parties, greater autonomy and improvements to basic water, electricity and road infrastructure. Anwar needs to understand local sentiment and review the government’s progress on earlier promises, he said.
A minister from Sabah resigned from Anwar’s cabinet this month after a Sabah court ruled in October that the federal government had unlawfully failed to honour an agreement it reached with the state more than 50 years ago.
Under the agreement, Sabah was entitled to 40% of federal revenue derived from the state. Anwar said on Sunday his administration has worked to resolve Sabah’s claims and would continue to assist the state.
Anwar was appointed prime minister in November 2022 after joining forces with some opposing parties to form a government after an election that resulted in a hung parliament.