KUALA PILAH, Malaysia: Malaysia’s opposition hopes a surge of support from disillusioned members of the country’s Muslim majority can carry them to an unlikely victory in Wednesday’s elections. The optimism has been triggered by the decision of 92-year-old former leader Mahathir Mohamad, a champion of the country’s Muslim Malays, to run as the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate. Mahathir has sought to capitalize on his enduring popularity among Malays to win them over to his four-party opposition alliance. But Najib has been fighting back, touring rural Malay heartlands and warning that victory for the opposition would undermine the privileges enjoyed by the country’s Muslims. But most analysts believe the swing in Malay support will not be strong enough to produce an opposition win.

Source: Manila Times May 08, 2018 04:30 UTC