Campaigning formally kicks off for Malaysia’s general elections

 Campaigning for Malaysia’s general elections formally started Saturday, in a highly competitive race that will see the world’s longest-serving coalition seeking to regain its dominance four years after a shocking electoral loss.

The Nov. 19 election will determine if Barisan Nasional (BN), or National Front coalition, can make a strong comeback or whether political reformers can secure another surprise win that will see their leader, Anwar Ibrahim, achieve a long-held dream of becoming prime minister.
Led by the United Malays National Organization, BN has ruled since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957. But anger over government corruption led to its defeat in 2018 polls to Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), or Alliance of Hope. The election victory sparked hopes of reforms as once-powerful UMNO leaders were jailed or hauled to court for graft, but it was short lived after defections caused the PH government to crumble in early 2020.....

READ MORE....