Photo: Lisa Marie David - Pool/ Getty Images For his government to survive, Umno needs to pacify the hearts and souls of the Malays, 'mission impossible' in a context where PN leaders have openly declared themselves as the government-in-waiting. "Kabinet Anwar: the...
Credit: Exclusive Copyright Sophie Lemière Standing on a podium, in front of the tower erected in his name, Mahathir is giving what will end up being the last campaign speech of his career. Tun Mahathir Mohamad, nicknamed Tun M or Dr. M, is the poster boy for the...
Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images (CSIS) Seventy-four percent of Malaysia’s registered voters went to the polls on Saturday. Since 2018, Malaysia has seen no less than four governments, and many observers expected to see the return of the Barisan Nasional (BN)...
In this electoral race, it seems that no candidate is emerging as the clear winner. For over six decades, Umno has claimed to be the righteous defender of Malay interests. Umno, and Islamist party PAS, are the country's oldest political entities, having been around...
Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images (CSIS) Malaysia’s 15th general election marks a major change in the country’s political landscape. First, the collapse of the 61-year Barisan Nasional (BN) rule in 2018 opened the way for greater political freedom and alternatives....
Malaysia should not wait to become a full-fledged democracy to implement new forms of democratic participation, as such innovations would support the democratisation process. Elections are the crystallisation of political history: a moment in which one may see what...
Today, politicians need to adapt to a new game, and to new rules. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri recently declined Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation to debate with other party leaders. Ismail justified his stance by claiming that "debate is not in our culture". The prime...
Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images (CSIS) Malaysia’s highly anticipated General Elections will be held on November 19, preceded by a 14-day campaign period. The Election Commission has set the candidates’ nomination day to November 5. Parties have just over a week to...
Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images (CSIS) On the eve of a potential election in Malaysia, political parties are getting in order of battle. The exact date of the general election remains unclear, and it is not due until September 2023. However, recent cues indicate...
Photo: ARIF KARTONO/AFP via Getty Images (CSIS) Najib Razak, former prime minister of Malaysia, had his 12-year sentence for abuse of power and corruption upheld on August 23. It is the first time in the country’s history that a former prime minister has been sent to...