Background
The incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition was returned to power in the 2008 general elections with 140 seats, giving it its worst result since the 1969 elections. The opposition parties that would later form the Pakatan Rakyat coalition won a total of 82 seats, thereby denying the BN its Two-thirds majority which is required to pass amendments to the Federal Constitution. Pakatan Rakyat also gained control of five out of thirteen state assemblies (has since lost one state assembly-Perak to BN due to defection) and 10 of the 11 parliamentary seats in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
Read more about this topic: Next Malaysian General Election
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