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KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's opposition held on for a narrow win in a state seat by-election in one of its strongholds on Tuesday.
The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), one of three parties in the opposition People's Alliance, retained the Manik Urai constituency in the northeastern Malay heartland state of Kelantan with a majority of just 65 votes, down from a majority of 1,352 in the 2008 general and state elections.
PAS candidate, 50-year-old Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, polled 5,348 votes while Barisan Nasional's Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, obtained 5,283 votes in a straight fight in the by-election.
The opposition - comprising PAS, a mainly ethnic Chinese party and reformers headed by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim - has been hit by a series of damaging rows in recent weeks.
Some top PAS officials have talked of a possible alliance with the Barisan Nasional (BN) that has ruled Malaysia for the last 51 years but which stumbled to its biggest ever election losses in polls held last year.
The BN coalition had been hit by a series of by-election losses since the March 2008 election when it lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority and five out of 13 states ended up in opposition hands.
But Tuesday's by-election came as Prime Minister Najib Razak saw his approval ratings surge to 65 per cent in a poll this month, up from 45 per cent in mid-May, after announcing a series of economic reforms to boost competitiveness.
Najib marked his 100th day in office last week with a slew of announcements, including road toll rate cuts and other popular measures aimed at bolstering mass support.
- CNA/ir
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