Malaysia Risks Post-Election Protests on Bias Claims
(Bloomberg) – Malaysia faces the risk of public protests over the accuracy of results from the May 5 national election after an opposition-backed group cited evidence of vote buying and bias by the official ballot oversight agency.
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, known as Bersih, has captured vote-buying on video and received complaints ranging from improper electoral rolls to government abuse of state-run media, according to co-chairwoman Ambiga Sreenevasan. The group, whose protests in recent years have drawn thousands of people onto Kuala Lumpur’s streets, has yet to decide on organizing demonstrations, she said this week.
A contested result between Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition and Anwar Ibrahim’s opposition alliance threatens to spark protests in a country that has never seen a transfer of power since independence from Britain in 1957. A tight finish would be the worst outcome for Malaysian stocks because it would lead to policy paralysis and may end Najib’s tenure, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said this week.
“Anything over a 15-to-20 seat victory margin will lead to suspicion — the race is that close,” said Bridget Welsh, associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University, who has edited two books on Malaysian politics. “You’re going to see people on the streets” if election observers produce solid evidence of fraud, she said.
Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-02/malaysia-risks-post-election-protests-as-group-cites-vote-buying.html
