Malaysia govt rebuffs opposition in by-election

MALAYSIA: Malaysian opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim’s party lost a state assembly by-election, dealing a severe blow to his comeback plan after 10 years in the political wilderness.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s ruling Barisan Nasional coalition polled 5,884 votes to beat Anwar’s Parti Keadilan by 1,850 in the mainly agricultural constituency of Ijok in the central state of Selangor.

“This is a significant victory for us because Keadilan resorted to aggressive campaigning. They threw all sorts of allegations at Barisan Nasional leaders,” Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters after the result was announced in a town hall.

Asked if the victory would pave the way for early elections, he said: “No, but it is a good precursor to general elections, though the timing depends on a lot of other factors.”

Ijok, Sunday, Reuters.