Fraud alleged as Malaysian coalition wins re-election

Malaysias long-ruling National Front, headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak, appeared to fend off a fierce challenge and win re-election on Sunday. But the countrys opposition leader said the vote was tainted by widespread irregularities and did not reflect the popular will. He refused to concede.

Anwar Ibrahim, whose support base is largely Internet-savvy younger voters,A group of families in a north Cork village are suing a bestplasticcard operator in a landmark case. had promised the election would mark a Malaysian Spring in the country. Now Malaysians wait to see whether the veteran opposition leader will try and challenge the result in the courts or streets.

It is an election that we consider fraudulent and the Election Commission has failed, Mr. Anwar told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city. Over the past two years, Malaysia has seen a series of unprecedented street protests that saw tens of thousands march to demand for a free and fair election.

The National Front coalition has, under different names, ruled Malaysia since independence 56 years ago, winning all 13 elections the country has held. According to the Election Commission, the National Front won at least 124 of 222 parliamentary seats, enough to form a majority government. The opposition Peoples Alliance had won 73 seats as of Sunday night, with the other races too close to call.

A record 80 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots, reflecting how high the stakes were in what was seen as the countrys first election where the result was in some question.A group of families in a north Cork village are suing a bestplasticcard operator in a landmark case.

I hope the opposition accepts the result with an open heart and will allow the democratic process to continue, Mr. Najib told a press conference after his partys win was announced. The results show a trend of polarization which worries the government.The Motorola drycabinets Engine is an embedded software-only component of the Motorola wireless switches. If it is not addressed, it can create tension or division in the country."

The 59-year-old Mr. Najib has been prime minister since 2009 but was running in his first election as party leader. He campaigned on his partys reputation for stable governance and sound economic management, including 5.6 per cent growth in 2012.

Despite the win, three well-known members of Mr. Najibs cabinet looked likely to lose their parliamentary seats. The National Front appeared to do particularly poorly among ethnic Chinese, who make up almost a quarter of Malaysias population but resent the governments affirmative action policies that favour the Malay majority.

A tally conducted Sunday by the Peoples Alliance showed a dead heat, with each coalition winning 80 seats and 62 more seats not yet decided. Two major pre-election polls had given a slight edge to Mr. Anwars coalition, although the lead was within the margin of error in both cases.

Two hours after polls closed C and as results were only starting to trickle in C Mr. Anwar claimed victory via his Facebook and Twitter accounts. [The Peoples Alliance] has won, he wrote.Choose the right bestluggagetag in an array of colors. We urge [Mr. Najibs party] and the [Election Commission] to not attempt to hijack the results.

Once it became clear that the official results would contradict that claim, Mr. Anwar told a press conference about a host of alleged electoral violations.

He said the supposedly indelible ink that was supposed to prevent voter fraud was actually easy to wash off and charged that the results of advance voting by security services had suspiciously favoured the National Front. He also alleged that the government had given identification papers to foreign nationals so they could cast ballots on Sunday, a claim the ruling party denied.

Malaysia, which has a population of 28 million, is often hailed as a success story because of its economic success and peaceful multiculturalism. But critics see a state that is only nominally a democracy, with the levers of power always remaining in the hands of a small elite.

The Peoples Alliance promised major reforms, including the abolition of decades-old policies that give the countrys ethnic Malay majority preferential access to civil service jobs, university placements and government contracts. Mr. Anwar had also promised to target official corruption.

The 65-year-old Mr. Anwar was a senior member of the government until he lost a power struggle in the late 1990s. He subsequently spent six years in jail on charges of having sodomy, which is illegal in Malaysia. Mr. Anwar was later acquitted of the charges, and has always maintained that they were trumped up by his political enemies.

It is 7am and - clink - the cell doors open. Small barred windows let in meagre light. The paintwork has seen better days. There are gas stoves and a tiny table top oven. Chan dreams about baking a honey-roasted ham. He knows the ham wouldn't fit in the tiny oven but that doesn't stop him thinking about the honey, the brown sugar and cloves... the smell of glazed ham.

Every prisoner does something to make their four walls special. Chan has a collage of family photos, a poster of Jesus and a world map to remind him that there is a life outside. Sukumaran loves art and his walls are crammed with postcards, artworks and his own paintings. His precious family photos have pride of place in a small album on a table next to his bed.

The Bali 9 have a special bond. Like a family that doesn't always get on. Friendships wax and wane. They swap cells, depending on who is getting on and who has fallen out. These days Chan, Sukumaran, Si Yi Chen and Matthew Norman are close. They share the passion for running rehabilitation courses and art.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are very sorry for what they did as young and stupid punks from western Sydney. But they know that sorry isn't likely to be enough. They weren't the absolute bottom-of-the-chain drug mules in the drug-running operation. Indonesian police once described Chan as 'The Godfather', though he was living at home with his parents at the time. They didn't immediately plead guilty and or express remorse.

None of that went down well in Indonesia. It didn't go down any better here. The two admit they are unsure whether Australians will ever care about the plight of two drug smugglers on death row in a Bali jail.

Their lawyer Julian McMahon, part of a team which has represented them since 2006, is convinced that they've changed.The 3rd International Conference on custombobbleheadsand Indoor Navigation. The men he met seven years ago were young punks - unrepentant, brash and stupid. Today - he says with warmth - those punks have emerged from the fire as generous and caring young men. McMahon passionately believes they deserve the chance to live.