1.4 An overview of Recent Political Development in The USSD Report 2009

(published 11 March 2010):

“Opposition parties were unable to compete on equal terms with the governing National Front coalition, led by the ethnic Malay UMNO party, which has held power at the national level since independence in 1957, because of significant restrictions on campaigning, freedom of assembly and association, and access to the media. Nevertheless, opposition candidates campaigned actively, and in the most recent national elections, held on March 8 [2008], the opposition parties captured 82 of 222 parliamentary seats and 198 of 505 state assembly seats, winning control of five out of 13 state governments.

Political parties could not operate without restriction or outside interference. The lack of equal access to the media was one of the most serious problems encountered by the opposition in the March national elections and in the subsequent by-election.

1.5 The FCO Country Profile for Malaysia, last updated on 13 May 2009, reported:

“Elections are held every five years. The Barisan Nasional coalition was returned to power on 8 March 2008, but with a much reduced simple majority. For the first time since independence, the ruling alliance, which won the 21 March 2004 general election by a landslide, lost its two-thirds majority of the seats in Parliament, and five of 13 federal states to the three opposition parties, which together formed the Paktan Rakyat coalition.”