In Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim survives his first electoral test
But a party that wants an Islamic state is ascendant
For six decades after its independence in 1957, Malaysia was governed by a single party. Then in 2018 voters ejected the United Malays National Organisation, appalled by the involvement of the prime minister, Najib Razak, in a scandal related to a $4.5bn heist of public funds. Ever since, the country has been in political disarray, churning through four prime ministers. A unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim, cobbled together after messy elections last November, is the latest effort to restore stability. Mr Anwar faced his first serious electoral test on August 12th, when elections took place for six of Malaysia’s 13 state governments.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Islamists rising”
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