(Bloomberg) — A Malaysian opposition party is seeking by-elections in six parliamentary constituencies held by its former members, threatening the prime minister’s support Anwar Ibrahim‘s planned reforms.
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The pro-Malaysian Bersatu party submitted a notice to Parliament on Thursday saying the six lawmakers are no longer party members, its chief Ronald Kiandee said. That leaves Parliament Speaker Johari Abdul with no choice but to declare their seats in Parliament vacant and notify the Election Commission so that elections can be held, Kiandee said in a statement on Facebook.
New by-elections could distract the government from its plans to follow up recent targeted diesel aid with efforts to taper blanket subsidies at RON95 to narrow Malaysia’s deficit gap. Although Anwar has a two-thirds majority in parliament, his approval ratings have taken a hit due to concerns about the economy.
The announcement follows months of efforts by Bersatu to organize new polls after lawmakers publicly backed Anwar. Malaysia’s landmark law against party hopping does not apply to MPs expelled from their parties, forcing Bersatu to amend the party constitution to invalidate the membership of those who defect.
The six affected parliamentary seats are Jeli and Gua Musang in opposition-controlled Kelantan state, Bukit Gantang and Kuala Kangsar in Perak state, Tanjong Karang in Selangor, Malaysia’s richest state, and Labuan.
Parliament Speaker Johari did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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