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Cited by 74Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationAsian Studies and HistoryPolitical Conflict and Governance

Opposition in transition: pre-electoral coalitions and the 2018 electoral breakthrough in Malaysia

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Ufen, Andreas·2020·Democratization
DOI 10.1080/13510347.2019.1666266
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Abstract

In May 2018, the Malaysian opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan or Hope Alliance won the federal elections for the first time in the history of the country. The electoral authoritarian system is now in a state of transition. The electoral breakthrough was the result of longer-term socio-economic transformations, but the formation of a strong pre-electoral coalition was ultimately decisive for the victory. The article compares various coalitions and their performance during seven elections since 1990. The structured, focused comparison analyses the coalitions during this period because prior to 1990 the opposition was fragmented. On the basis of a three-level concept regarding the strength of pre-electoral coalitions, the article argues that Pakatan Harapan was successful because the coalition was sufficiently comprehensive (as indicated by the number and the competitiveness of candidates), cohesive (concerning ideological proximity and behavioural routinization) and well-rooted in society (in terms of linkages to voters/supporters and to civil society networks or organizations).

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  • The Budapest candidate ran and won on a platform of representing the people against the seat of power, a pro-Europe and green agenda, and willingness to work with the national government.

    “The Budapest candidate ran and won on a platform of representing the people against the seat of power, a pro-Europe and green agenda, and a willingness to work in a partnership with the national government.”

    From Pernicious polarization, autocratization and opposition strategies (2021) · cites this paper as [49]

    The 2018 electoral victory section discusses Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan campaign and manifesto, not a Budapest candidate. Searches for the Budapest candidate and the claimed pro-Europe, green, and national-government partnership platform found no passage addressing those points in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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Authors
Ufen, A.
Affiliations
German Institute for Global and Area Studies (DE)
Corresponding author
Ufen, Andreas
ORCID
Ufen, Andreas
Venue
Democratization
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2019-09-13
Volume
27
Issue
2
Pages
167-184
ISSN
  • 1351-0347 (ISSN-L)
  • 1743-890X
DOI
10.1080/13510347.2019.1666266
OpenAlex
W2972778306
Cited by
74
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4
FWCI
17.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Democratization (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Asian Studies and History
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
Keywords
Pakatan Harapan, pre-electoral coalitions, 2018 Malaysian general election, electoral authoritarianism, coalition cohesion, civil society networks, electoral reform, opposition fragmentation

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