With the country’s most popular opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, in jail, Mahathir is seen as the biggest threat for premier Najib Razak, who must call an election by August but is engulfed in a corruption scandal. But an independent survey showed the opposition would have difficulty beating Najib, due to divisions within its own camp and unfavourable electoral boundary changes. Malaysia’s political landscape has been shaped for nearly two decades by a bitter feud between Anwar and Mahathir. Najib’s coalition lost the popular vote in that election, but won a majority of the seats in parliament. Opposition to Najib has brought Anwar and Mahathir back together.

Source: The Guardian January 08, 2018 02:48 UTC