Malaysians vote in elections as old party, reformers clash

By EILEEN NG
Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Voting is underway in Malaysia’s tightly contested national election that will determine whether its long-ruling coalition can make a comeback after its electoral defeat four years ago. Political reformers under opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is forecast to lead Saturday’s polls. But with three main blocs vying for votes, analysts say the outcome is hard to predict and could see new alliances formed if there is no clear majority in Parliament. Anwar said after voting that he was cautiously optimistic of a victory. Some say gerrymandering and uneven proportion of voters in constituencies may tilt the vote in favor of the long-ruling United Malays National Organization. The party lost the popular vote in 2018 but still won a majority in Parliament.