[20180521]IN10911_马来西亚第一次民主政府更迭.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Malaysias First Democratic Change of Government name reacte Specialist in Asian Affairs name reacte Specialist in Asian Affairs May 21, 2018 In a nationwide parliamentary election on May 9, Malaysia underwent its first democratic change of government since it gained independence in 1959. Voters elected a coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH), led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The coalition defeated the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), a Malay-nationalist party that has dominated Malaysias politics since independence. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who had served since 2007, conceded the elections on May 10. The election was a peaceful and democratic change of government in Southeast Asia, a region where many analysts have perceived a decline in democratic institutions in recent years. Polling suggested that Malaysian voters were deeply concerned with corruption under Najibs government. Despite uneven electoral representation that favored Malay-dominated districts long thought to favor UMNO, as well as strong government influence over media outle