Anwar Ibrahim's coalition loses Negeri Sembilan state election to rival Malay coalitions

Published Aug 3, 01:23 AM UTC

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition suffered a significant electoral defeat in the Negeri Sembilan state election, losing control to the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions. BN won 18 seats and PN won 7, while PH dropped from 17 to 11 seats. This follows a similar setback in Johor last month. The defeat is attributed to a wave of Malay-Muslim unity, cooperation between BN and PN to avoid splitting the Malay vote, and growing disillusionment with PH due to corruption scandals and perceived arrogance. The result widens the rift between BN and PH at the federal level and could prompt an early general election, which must be held by 2028.