Leaders of the Sarawak Parties Alliance (GPS) coalition waving flags after winning a landslide victory in the Sarawak state elections in Kuching, Malaysia, on Saturday. AFP
An alliance backing Malaysia’s ruling coalition won a landslide victory at state polls on Borneo island on December 18, as the country gears up for a general election, possibly as soon as next year.
The Sarawak Parties Alliance (GPS) claimed at least 75 of 82 seats in a contest that saw 349 candidates competing for control of the country’s largest state of Sarawak.
The result for one seat remains unresolved, as vote tallies were not completed due to bad weather and roads being cut off as unusually heavy rainfall hits the tropical nation, election officials said.
The four-party bloc is aligned with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government at the national level, and their victory could give his coalition a boost.
It follows a win for Ismail Sabri’s party in another local poll last month, and may further fuel expectations that a general election could be called next year.
The outcome of December 18’s polls means the GPS could play a kingmaker role in the upcoming federal election, offering support to whoever appears to have the best shot of emerging as the victor, one analyst said.
“Any coalition that takes a majority of seats in the next election will not have to worry about GPS’s hold over Sarawak,” James Chin, a political analyst from the University of Tasmania, said.
“They will go with whoever forms the government.”
The government and opposition have agreed not to dissolve parliament for national polls until July next year as officials focus on combating the coronavirus pandemic.
But speculation is mounting a vote could be called soon after that. A national election must be held by mid-2023 at the latest.
Malaysian politics has been in turmoil since early 2020, when a reformist government headed by Mahathir Mohamad collapsed after less than two years in power due to infighting.
It was replaced by a weak coalition, which itself fell apart earlier this year, paving the way for Ismail Sabri to clinch the leadership for his United Malays National Organisation (Umno) party.
He was appointed directly as premier due to fears that a general election could have worsened the Covid-19 outbreak.
Umno ruled Malaysia uninterrupted for decades until losing power at the polls in 2018 following a string of corruption scandals.
The result in Sarawak was another blow for veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Harapan (Pact of Hope) front, which won a mere two seats.
The opposition alliance has never managed to gain a strong foothold in Sarawak.
