Asia | Um, maybe

Malaysia’s grand old party eyes a comeback

The political chaos of the past few years gives UMNO a chance at regaining power

Mandatory Credit: Photo by FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13609224g)Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri (C) together with National Front Coalition (Barisan Nasional) arrives at the nomination centre during the nomination day in Bera, some 200KM from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 04 November 2022. Ismail Sabri to be contested by The Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) candidate Abas Awang and The National Alliance (Perikatan Nasional) Asmawi Harun.Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri for nomination day ahead of 15th General Elections, Bera - 05 Nov 2022
|LEKIR

ZAMBRY ABDUL KADIR is giving his fifth pep talk of the day. A dozen men and women crowd around a table in the humid kitchen of a home in Lekir, a village in the western Malaysian seat of Lumut where Mr Zambry is standing for parliament. At his side is a whiteboard on which an aide has scrawled the electoral maths: 1,183 votes are up for grabs in this and nearby villages. A solid 583 are already in the bag, according to his ground operation. But more voters can be won over.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Um, maybe”

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