Malaysian poll: Longest-sitting party Barisan Nasional loses after 61 years

In the end, BN still fell short of its usual majority

In a shocking upset, the coalition that has ruled Malaysia for all 61 years since independence, Barisan Nasional (BN), has lost power. It was ousted by a coalition of four parties, Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), whose combined seats amounted to a parliamentary majority. Its candidate for prime minister, 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, has now been sworn in. A former BN prime minister for 22 years, he now becomes the world’s oldest sitting elected leader.

This is a galling defeat for BN, which was widely expected to win yet again. In the last vote in 2013, it retained enough