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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Malaysian prime minister faces tough fight as poll battle starts

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Langkawi, Malaysia: Campaigning for Malaysia’s general election began on Saturday with flag-waving supporters hitting the streets, as the scandal-hit government fights to retain power in one of the toughest poll battles since independence six decades ago.


Prime Minister Najib Razak faces a stern test at next month’s vote due to the controversy surrounding sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and a challenge from his former mentor and veteran ex-leader, Mahathir Mohamad.


Mahathir, a strongman who led Malaysia for over two decades, has shaken up the race with a surprise comeback at the age of 92 as the prime ministerial candidate in an opposition alliance packed with parties he crushed while in power.


But Najib’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957, is tipped to win due to splits within the opposition, and what critics warn will be widespread cheating at the dirtiest election in Malaysian history. In the unlikely event that Mahathir wins the May 9 poll, he will become the world’s oldest prime minister.


There was a festive atmosphere around the country on Saturday as candidates formally registered to stand in the election, with flag-waving supporters from different parties parading through the streets.


Once the election commission confirmed their candidacies, the 11-day campaign formally got under way, with 222 parliamentary seats up for grabs. Najib, in dark blue traditional Malay dress, registered in his constituency of Pekan, in Pahang state, which he has held for over four decades, as his supporters gathered, singing the national anthem and waving flags.


On the holiday island of Langkawi, Mahathir arrived at a local government office to register, wearing bright red Malay dress and a traditional black cap. Outside about 5,000 backers of the opposition coalition he is heading, Pact of Hope, waved flags and chanted.


Not all candidates registered successfully. Tian Chua, a leading member of opposition group the People’s Justice Party, was disqualified from contesting his seat due to a fine imposed by a court for insulting a police officer. Mahathir was spurred out of retirement to take on Najib — who heads the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the main party in the ruling coalition — as allegations mounted about the 1MDB scandal.


— AFP


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