Malaysian opposition to contest result of general elections

Alleging widespread fraud in the general elections in which the ruling bloc has secured a majority, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today said he would contest the result till the Election Commission explains all the alleged irregularities.
Anwar said, "The Election Commission must answer to the allegations on electoral fraud."
"My decision stands. I do not think it is fair to expect me to make a decision primarily based on an election that we consider fraudulent," Anwar said after 56-year-old ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) led by Prime Minister Najib Razak retained its grip on power.
Calling the Commission a failure, Anwar, who retained his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, said he suspected something was amiss with the early voting and postal voting process.

"The ballots were overwhelmingly in support of BN, which is not the norm with the current voting pattern."
Anwar, 60, claimed that foreigners were casting ballots as postal voters as well. He also criticised the use of indelible ink, which he alleged could be easily washed off.

Meanwhile, the victorious ruling coalition has said it will conduct a post-mortem on the outcome of the election and work on more moderate and accommodating policies for the country.
"In the coming weeks, we will work towards more moderate and accommodating policies for the country," said Razak, who is also the BN chairman.

"We have tried our level best, but there were several factors resulting in the heavy swing of Chinese support away from BN. As such, what we expected did not come to pass, but at least we managed to recapture Kedah," he said.
Yesterday, the ruling coalition retained its 56-year hold on power by winning a simple majority of 133 seats in the 222-seat Parliament in the general elections. While, Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat coalition won 89 seats.