Landslide win for Malaysian government

Malaysia’s prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won a landslide victory yesterday after voters resoundingly rejected the fundamentalist Islamic opposition and handed the secular leader a mandate for cleaner government.

The results indicate a huge personal endorsement for Abdullah, who has cultivated an image as a corruption fighter and man-of-the-people in the five months since he took over from leader Mahathir Mohamad, who retired on October after 22 years in power.