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KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's opposition said on Saturday it had ousted the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition from the Chinese-dominated island state of Penang for the first time, in a stunning upset.
Democratic Action Party (DAP) candidate P. Ramasamy said it was confident of forming a government along with two other opposition parties, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan and the Islamic hardliners PAS.
"Definitely we have won enough seats to form the next state government. The DAP has won 19 seats while Keadilan and PAS secured another five," Ramasamy told AFP.
"This is based on the initial results from the various polling centres."
The Barisan Nasional coalition has ruled Penang since 1969, led by its Chinese-based component party Gerakan.
In 2004 general elections the coalition claimed 38 seats in the 40-seat Penang parliament while DAP and PAS held just one each.
"This is an historic moment for the DAP after 50 years of trying to form a government," said political science professor at Monash University's Kuala Lumpur campus, James Chin. - AFP/de
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