Malaysia Edition: Street protests no more? | Borneo parties as GE kingmakers

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Malaysia’s Election Commission is due to announce tomorrow when the 15th general election will be held, but the excitement which preceded the 2018 polls appears to be absent this time around.

Gone are the mass street rallies that led to Umno’s first ever defeat four years ago, as a fractured opposition struggles to tap voter discontent to galvanise support.

Voter apathy could very well propel Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Barisan Nasional to victory on the back of its large hardcore support. But potential floods in November may yet ignite public anger at his decision to dissolve Parliament last week.

The convergence of various factors has led most pundits to predict a hung Parliament after the vote, a situation which would make parties in Borneo potential kingmakers.

This will also be the first federal elections that will see most state legislatures not follow suit. Only the three Umno-controlled states of Perlis, Perak and Pahang have dissolved their assemblies and will hold state polls concurrently with the general election. The six states governed by opposition parties will only hold their polls next year, preferring to first focus on the expected floods.

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Battle for Malaysia in GE2022

Umno's internal projections show it is confident of winning at least 65 out of 222 parliamentary wards at stake.

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Are major street protests thing of the past?

The next GE would potentially be the first since 2004 that is not happening on the heels of a rally organised by Bersih.

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Investor sentiment remains fragile

Experts predict the worst is yet to come for the stock market if polls do not produce a strong majority government.

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Borneo parties set to be kingmakers

Tight contests among major coalitions might result in no clear winner, presenting parties like GPS, Warisan and GRS the chance to become deciders.

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Zahid's persecution claim backfires

The Umno president's speech has given ammo to the opposition, who have warned Malaysians that BN leaders want to win the polls to avoid court cases.

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State polls after GE for Pakatan Harapan

DAP, despite pushing for concurrent polls for Penang, has decided not to break ranks with the PH coalition.

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Mahathir open to be PM for third time

Dr Mahathir said he would take up premiership again if his GTA coalition and the people want him to.

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