Malaysian PM heads for tainted election victory

Malaysia's long-serving Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was heading for a fifth and decisive election victory last night, as an election monitoring group complained that ballot papers in several parts of the country had been interfered with.

Malaysia's long-serving Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was heading for a fifth and decisive election victory last night, as an election monitoring group complained that ballot papers in several parts of the country had been interfered with.

With results declared in 81 of the parliament's 193 seats, the ruling National Front coalition had won 68 seats, with just 13 going to the newly formed Alternative Front, led by Dr Mahathir's former friend and deputy, Anwar Ibrahim. Among several blows for the opposition, the country's most respected opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang of the Chinese Democratic Action Party, lost his parliamentary seat after one of the most bitter and acrimonious elections in Malaysian history. However Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of Anwar Ibrahim, won in her husband's former constituency of Permatang Pauh in the northern state of Penang.

The National Front, led by Dr Mahathir's United Malay National Organisation (Umno), waged a relentless campaign of personal attacks against Mr Anwar and his supporters, and warned of riots and instability if the opposition were to make gains. The opposition parties accused the National Front of smears, and alleged that large numbers of "phantom voters" had been added to electoral lists by the government.

Yesterday, an independent election monitoring group said that it had received complaints of irregularities from several parts of the country, including reports that portions of ballot papers had been impregnated with wax, making it impossible for voters to mark the boxes of opposition parties. "Our phones have not stopped ringing," said Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman of the independent group Pementau. "Many are upset."

But the allegations are not likely to trouble Dr Mahathir whose victory comes at the end of the most turbulent and sensational period in his 18 years as prime minister. Little more than a year ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur calling for his resignation, after the sacking and arrest of Mr Anwar, Dr Mahathir's deputy, finance minister and designated successor. Mr Anwar's appearance in court, bruised and beaten by the chief of police, outraged many Malaysians. For the first time since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957, four opposition parties - including the newly formed Justice Party, formed by Mr Anwar and his wife - united in a single coalition.

But yesterday the stability and continued economic development promised by Dr Mahathir won out over the greater freedom and reform promised by the opposition. "I wasn't interested in politics, but the Anwar business made me think a lot more about it," said Johan bin Mohamed Saleh, a marketing director, at a polling station in the city of Shah Alam. "I've been to opposition rallies and listened to CDs of Anwar's speeches. But you can't deny where this country's going - the new airports, dams, highways."

In regional elections, however, the government appeared to be on the verge of losing control of the state of Terengganu to the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Pas).Until yesterday, Dr Mahathir's coalition controlled all but one state, Kelantan, also in the Malay heartland in the north of peninsular Malaysia.