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Obama taps senior diplomat as Malaysia envoy

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 18:30
President Barack Obama on Wednesday named the acting top US diplomat on East Asia to be ambassador to Malaysia, fresh after an election in which the opposition alleged irregularities. Joe Yun, whose previous assignments have included South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, needs Senate confirmation, which will likely be easy if not swift. He would replace Paul Jones, a fellow career diplomat whose term is ending.

Malaysian opposition wages legal battle against May general election

Kyodo News InternationalJune 10, 2013 10:31
Malaysia's opposition camp began a legal battle Monday challenging results of last month's general election, alleging the ruling coalition won 24 parliamentary seats through irregularities. The three-party opposition alliance won 89 seats in the 222-seat national parliament, just 23 seats short of a majority. Rafizi Ramli, a strategist for the opposition People's Justice Party, said the party began filing court petitions Monday and will continue to file court papers until the petition deadline closes Wednesday.

Malaysian opposition figures charged with sedition

Agence France-PresseMay 29, 2013 12:41
A Malaysian court on Wednesday charged four people with sedition as part of what critics have decried as a crackdown on accusations that the government cheated to win recent elections. The allegations, repeated in a series of opposition-organised rallies drawing tens of thousands of people around the country, have added pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razak who was already smarting from a disappointing polls win. The four men charged on Wednesday -- opposition politicians Tian Chua and Tamrin Ghafar, and two activists -- pleaded not guilty in a Kuala Lumpur district court.

Malaysian police re-arrest two for sedition

Agence France-PresseMay 28, 2013 10:04
Malaysian police Tuesday re-arrested an activist and an opposition politician under the Sedition Act, their lawyer said, in the latest move to spark tensions following divisive polls early this month. Activist Haris Ibrahim and politician Tamrin Ghafar were arrested last week under the act, but were released after a court declined a police application to hold them in custody. The arrests were in connection with comments made at a public forum, alleging that fraud marred the May 5 general election and cost the opposition victory.

Bitter election creates long-term headache for Malaysia's Najib

May 25, 2013 23:32
By Niluksi Koswanage KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's divisive election has left a bitter taste for millions of people that risks creating a long-term problem of legitimacy for Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. The outrage was clear at a busy intersection across from one of Kuala Lumpur's fanciest shopping malls, where a huge poster of Najib and his deputy had been defaced -- a rare display of public disrespect in the Southeast Asian nation.

Malaysia's Najib unveils new Cabinet after bruising election

Kyodo News InternationalMay 15, 2013 14:17
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak unveiled his new Cabinet on Wednesday that he hoped wins back public confidence after his coalition won the national election but with a reduced vote. Touted as a "transformational Cabinet," the line-up, he said, includes "the experienced, the technocrats and those that represent the youth."

Malaysian PM unveils 'reconciliation' cabinet

Agence France-PresseMay 15, 2013 08:46
Malaysia's premier on Wednesday unveiled a cabinet line-up which he said would help national reconciliation after a racially divisive election, but which was noticeably light on Chinese faces. Prime Minister Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, which has ruled multiracial Malaysia for 56 years, fended off the strongest opposition challenge ever in an election marked by anger over racially divisive policies.

Malaysian vote was 'mother of all frauds'

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 13:30
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim Saturday called Malaysia's recent elections "the mother of all frauds" as he kept up the pressure over polls he says were stolen by the 56-year-old regime. Anwar addressed tens of thousands in the opposition-governed northern state of Penang three days after a massive rally in the capital Kuala Lumpur kicked off a series of protest gatherings. Anwar has branded the May 5 elections -- won by the Barisan Nasional (National Front) ruling coalition -- a heist by Prime Minister Najib Razak and accused the Election Commission (EC) of bias.

Protests raise pressure in 'polarised' Malaysia

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 12:29
A planned wave of protests over disputed Malaysian elections is the most provocative challenge to the government in years, upping pressure on a long-ruling regime already smarting from the polls. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim offered a preview of the movement's potential Wednesday when he rallied a huge display of citizen power in Kuala Lumpur estimated to number up to 100,000 people.

Malaysia's Anwar calls for nationwide protest tour

Agence France-PresseMay 10, 2013 11:50
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called a protest tour over elections he says the ruling regime stole, as the White House urged authorities to "address concerns" about voter fraud. Anwar late Wednesday addressed a rally of supporters dressed in black, to protest Sunday's polls, who filled a stadium and spilled out into surrounding areas, swamping a corner of the capital Kuala Lumpur in hours-long gridlock.
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