Malaysian opposition gains in elections, conquers four new state legislatures

March 10, 2008

The elections in Malaysia have resulted in gains by opposition parties. The ruling Barisan National (BN) Coalition's fraction has fallen below two thirds (The requisite supermajority to amend the constitution), while still maintaining an absolute majority to mass its legislation.

The elections, held on the March 8, were for the Parliament of Malaysia and all the state legislatures, except that of Sarawak. Opposition parties defeated the BN in five of the thirteen state legislatures, up from one in the 2004 elections.

A number of commentators noted that the results had been unexpected, including the BBC's Robin Brant, who stated that "no one expected the opposition to do so well across the board."