Malaysia PM sworn in after election landslide

Incumbent Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in today as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister, a day after scoring a landslide election victory that handed the fundamentalist Islamic opposition its worst defeat in more than a decade.

Abdullah, dressed in a sombre black tunic and traditional gold-embroidered cloth wrapped around his waist, took the oath of office before Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur, where he swore to “fulfill the obligations of this post with honesty and with all my strength”.

The ceremony, which was attended by hundreds of top officials including former longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad, who handed power to Abdullah five months ago, took place as recounting continued to decide whether the Islamic opposition would recover a modicum of pride after Sunday’s sweeping defeat by retaining control of one of Malaysia’s 13 states.

Abdullah’s secular National Front was returned to power with a massive majority – 195 of 219 seats – in the federal parliament, and stunned the Islamic opposition by securing huge margins, even in the states the opposition thought were safely its own.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected the hardline policies of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, known as PAS, in favour of Abdullah’s promises of a moderate form of Islam and cleaner government after Mahathir, who retired last October after 22 years in power.

The results were widely seen as a personal endorsement for Abdullah, whose low-key style has proved a sharp contrast to his combative predecessor.

The main index on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange surged 1.5% higher today, then declined on profit-taking.

Many voters – especially the large Chinese and Indian minorities – had feared Islamic fundamentalism was on the rise. Scores of suspected terrorists have been detained in Malaysia in the past two years, some linked to al-Qaida.

But opposition leaders blamed the short eight-day campaign, a shutout by the government-controlled mainstream media, alleged bias by the Election Commission and dirty tricks at polling booths for their losses.

Abdullah’s massive majority gives him virtual carte blanche to pass any laws, including changing the constitution, without any effective opposition to challenge him.

He said he would call his first cabinet meeting on March 31. He is widely expected to shuffle cabinet posts, though it is not clear if he will do it at his first meeting.

Officials were recounting nine seats – enough to deliver either side victory in the Kelantan assembly on Monday, after it was requested by candidates whose losses were from margins of one per cent or less.