Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi was officially inaugurated this morning, in spite of continuing appeals for his resignation made by the opposition - but also by his own party - after the electoral defeat suffered by his party. Badawi, in his second mandate, took the oath of office during a ceremony at the royal palace of Kuala Lumpur.
In the elections last March 8, the multiracial coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN) saw an erosion of a large part of the widespread support it had received until now. It obtained 139 seats out of 222 in the federal parliament, thus losing the two-thirds majority that it had kept in the government for the better part of 50 years, which also permitted it to make changes to the constitution. Instead of 19 seats, the opposition now holds 80. Voting was also held on Saturday for legislative positions in 12 of the federation's 13 states. Here, too, the opposition struck a hard blow to the BN. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) - dominated by Chinese nationals - the PKR of former prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the Islamic party PAS won in five states: Penang, Kelantan, Selangor, Perak, and Kedah. Until now, only Kelantan had not been governed by the BN.
The prime minister says that he accepts defeat in some areas, and calls upon the population to remain calm. Police officials have announced harsh security measures against anyone who spreads rumours of racial conflict. The results of the voting - called ahead of the regular deadline of May 2009 - are clear symptom of popular discontent with the government because of the prime minister's policies, the spreading economic crisis, corruption, disputes over religious freedom, racial discrimination, and the role of the Islamic tribunals, which increasingly judge non-Muslim citizens as well.