Malaysia Election Shock Mahathir Mohamed is back.

[maakhiri1]

Prime Minister Najib Razak defeated as opposition claims victory in Malaysia

By Marc Lourdes, CNN

Updated at 2341 GMT (0741 HKT) May 9, 

Editor's Note:Marc Lourdes is a former Asia director of CNN Digital now based in Kuala Lumpur. Follow him on Twitter at @marclourdes.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) —Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has suffered a stunning elections loss to former leader Mahathir Mohamad, who at 92 is set to become the world's oldest leader.

Scandal-plagued Najib, 64, was thrashed at the polls by a coalition of parties led by Mahathir, who led the country for 22 years and came out of retirement to challenge Najib in the country's 14th general election.

The defeat is a humiliating fall from grace for Najib, the scion of one of Malaysia's most prominent political families, and his coalition party, Barisan Nasional, which had led the country since its independence 61 years ago.

With all 222 seats in the country's Parliament accounted for, Mahathir's coalition had officially won 121 seats -- enough to form a simple majority and take control of the House. Barisan Nasional, in contrast, only had 79 seats -- a far cry from the 133 it won in the 2013 election.

Voters cast their ballots at a polling station during Malaysia's 14th general election on Wednesday. The country's Prime Minister Najib Razak suffered a stunning defeat at the polls.

The bloodbath did not end there -- Najib also saw several members of his Cabinet, ministers and deputy ministers, defeated at the polls, and crashed out of eight of the battles for control of 12 state legislatures contested in the election.

 

According to a statement by the country's Election Commission, over 76% of the 14.3 million eligible voters in the country turned out to cast their ballots, which opened at 8 a.m. local time and went on until 5 p.m. The turnout was lower than the 85% the country saw in 2013.

While the defeat surely spells the end of Najib's political career, for Mahathir, it represents the culmination of a stunning return to power, a decade-and-a-half after retirement.

Remarkable victory

Mahathir's victory is all the more remarkable considering he is 92 years old, and was fighting the very party he led for over two decades.

Former Malaysian prime minister and opposition party Pakatan Harapan's candidate Mahathir Mohamad shows his inked finger as he casts his vote Tuesday.

Bridget Welsh, a John Cabot University expert on Malaysian politics, said Barisan Nasional could have won the elections had it not been for Najib.

"Najib is a liability. His narcissism cost them the elections," she said, of a Barisan Nasional campaign that featured Najib and his election promises as a centrepiece.

Welsh added Najib's re-election campaign never really took off.

"He used racial politics and money, like he did in 2013, but it did not have the same traction.

"This was a Malaysian tsunami across races, generations and background."

James Chin, the director at the Asia Institute in the University of Tasmania, said Najib had "finally run out of tricks" and said Mahathir had pulled off a masterstroke in snatching the rural vote away from Najib.

He compared the campaign speeches given by the two men on Tuesday night, hours before voting began. "Najib was still playing the bribery game -- you give me your vote, I give you this or that. Mahathir, on the other hand, came across as a statesman and appealed to Malay dignity," he said.

Chin called out two things that helped turn the tide against Najib -- a high voter turnout and the swing in rural support.

"Even if the rural voters didn't understand 1MDB, they understood that some monkey business was happening. And so the Najib brand became toxic," he said.

A contentious election

Najib had been under massive pressure in the run up to the elections, chiefly due to long-running allegations of corruption and misappropriation of money from a state fund, known as the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, but also because of deeply unpopular moves such as the introduction of a goods and services tax (GST), which many Malaysians feel has caused the cost of living to spike sharply.

Related Article: Malaysia election: Opposition leader Mahathir facing fake news charge

The elections have been contentious. Najib came under fire from opposition parties and civil society groups for a redrawing of electoral lines that skewed constituencies heavily in favor of his ruling coalition, towards the rural ethnic Malay-Muslim voters that have traditionally formed Barisan Nasional's power base, and away from the urban voters that have largely abandoned his coalition.

Najib also rammed through a bill in Parliament, days before it was dissolved and elections were called, that was ostensibly targeted at curbing the spread of fake news, but which critics said was aimed at stifling free speech and dissenting voices. Mahathir has become one of the first people to be investigated under the law.

There was also deep unhappiness at the fact that the elections were held on a weekday -- only the fifth time in the country's history such a thing has happened, and the first time in the country's history it was held in midweek. Many believed that the choice to have it on a weekday was a deliberate attempt to suppress the number of votes cast.

The country's Election Commission also came under significant fire, with overseas voters furious about the length of time it took them to get their postal voting ballots.Malaysians in London staged a protest earlier this week excoriating the commission for the late arrival of their ballot papers.

Election day controversies

A voter wearing shorts and flip-flops fills out a ballot at a polling station in the Desa Petaling area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday. Some voters were turned away by officials citing dress restrictions -- despite assurances that would not happen.

Polling day came with its own share of controversies. Voters in some areas were turned away by election officials for wearing shorts and flip-flops, despite a statement from the Electoral Commission's chairman the day before that there wouldn't be a dress code for voters.

There were also allegations of discrepancies in voting papers, with some voters who turned up to cast their ballots told that they had already voted.

Earlier in the day, opposition politicians claimed their phones and email accounts had been hacked and spammed, saying it was a deliberate attempt to disrupt their communications.

Vote counting by officials went on into the morning, with final results still pending. Najib and Prime Minister-elect Mahathir are expected to address the nation early Thursday. And for the rest of the country, the party has already begun -- May 10 and May 11 have already been declared public holidays in celebration of one of the most remarkable moments in Malaysia's modern history.

 

[maakhiri1]

it is amazing, long story short, Mahathir left  Malaysia with Najib, Najib oo aad moodid meel Somali in wax ka wadaagaan, became the most corrupted in history stealing billions, and when caught  said it was personal gift from Saudi Arabia. Mahathir at 92 came back to politics this time joining his long time opposition, and rest is history.

Mahathir will pardon Anwar who has been rotting in jail and have Anwar wife as deputy now.

[galbeedi]

Mahathir is back.

This was the man who built Malesia. Anwar is done. He tried to takeover while Mahathir was doing well. I would not trust Anwar. He was a foreign intelligence asset.

With Mahathir in Malesia and Erdogan in Turkey, good things could happen. Ah, we need leaders like those guys.

Yet, how can he rule as 92 years old. THat is strange.

[maakhiri1]

12 minutes ago, galbeedi said:

Mahathir is back.

This was the man who built Malesia. Anwar is done. He tried to takeover while Mahathir was doing well. I would not trust Anwar. He was a foreign intelligence asset.

With Mahathir in Malesia and Erdogan in Turkey, good things could happen. Ah, we need leaders like those guys.

Yet, how can he rule as 92 years old. THat is strange.

Bro it is for short term till he finds good person , and not make same mistake as before.

Malasians love mahathir and chose him when he switched parties, I hope we find a leader like him.

[maakhiri1]

As for Anwar Ibrahim, most of the things against him were fabricated, they gave money to chinnese boy and sent to his hotel. 

[galbeedi]

It might have been fabricated.

I remember him visiting the US as a deputy premier and they gave him 21 gun salute in Washington which raised a lot of eyebrows back then. At the time there was a lot of pressure against the Malaysian currency and after he came back the scandal broke out.

He was probably used against Mahathir, just like the former Turkish prime minister was used to undermine Erdogan.

[galbeedi]

Poor Najib Razak has presided two tragic events. The disappearance of MH370 in the Indian ocean , and the shooting of another flight 17 over Ukraine.

Those tragic events might have damaged both the country and it's leadership.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

I remember his 2020 vision for Malaysia, which they did mostly achieve. Inkastoo da'diisa tahay 92 sano, waxaa ka rajeynaa inuu xal u raadiyo xaalka xun ee dalalka Muslimiinta ku jiraan. I hope the likes of idiotic upcoming leaders in Khaliijka, particularly Sacuudiga, will listen to him since he had close relationship with them when he was a leader.

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

1 hour ago, galbeedi said:

Mahathir is back.

This was the man who built Malesia. Anwar is done. He tried to takeover while Mahathir was doing well. I would not trust Anwar. He was a foreign intelligence asset.

With Mahathir in Malesia and Erdogan in Turkey, good things could happen. Ah, we need leaders like those guys.

Yet, how can he rule as 92 years old. THat is strange.

Galbeedi, actually Anwar iyo Maxaadir are allies now. Maxaadir Maxamed is just placeholder until Anwar is pardoned from his wrongly convicted crimes, which Maxaadir said will happen next month. Maxaadir will only be prime minister for two years and Anwar's wife will be Maxaadir's deputy prime minister, as per party agreement.

[maakhiri1]

MMA, apart from  coruption, one of the reason Najib lost is some of the goals of 2020 will not be achieved and lost during Najib time,also high inflation.

[Old_Observer]

3 hours ago, galbeedi said:

Poor Najib Razak has presided two tragic events. The disappearance of MH370 in the Indian ocean , and the shooting of another flight 17 over Ukraine.

Those tragic events might have damaged both the country and it's leadership.

Quite the contrary it strengtheened the country and leadership. Most people around the world do not believe the explanations of Dutch in Europe and US/Australia in Asia. Malaysia also refused to close both cases.

 

Maumar Gaddafi had learned and copied a lot of structures and methods of finance from this man. Gaddafi is gone, but this man comes back to life. Needs triple security. An old man is easy to do away with.

 

 

[Holac]

I am not sure why the respected Mahathir aligned himself with the CIA stooge facing the sodomy charges. It is a fall from grace in my opinion. I hope he changes his mind and doesn't seek pardon for Anwar. I don't think the King would approve the pardon anyways, but such is not worth the try.