Malaysia PM Anwar’s coalition faces internal cracks after landslide by-election win

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is reaping the rewards of both economic recovery and a political shift toward conservatism, with a landslide by-election win showing his coalition government has gained stability and support.

However, fissures have emerged within his coalition of one-time enemies turned allies of convenience.

Saturday’s by-election in Johor’s Mahkota state saw a landslide victory for the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which, together with Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), has formed an uneasy but enduring unity government.

The win, secured by over 20,000 votes against the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN), reinforces the coalition’s grip on power after decades of rivalry between its partners.

However, two days after the contest, a senior Umno leader said the result showed that no single party in government could claim to be the “backbone” of the ruling coalition, particularly Anwar’s PH.