ABSTRACT
The March 2004 general elections in Malaysia were, even by the standards of a country which has never seen the incumbent federal government lose an election, a foregone conclusion. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN, or National Front) coalition romped home with 63% of the popular vote and over 90% of the seats, buoyed by a resurgent economy and a change of leadership the previous year. In October 2003 the charismatic but controversial Mahathir Mohamed, prime minister since 1981, retired in favour of his slightly colourless but broadly popular deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Abdullah had impressed many observers in his first six months with an apparent commitment to eradicate corruption and undo many of the social cleavages left by his predecessor’s confrontational style. The elections were also, however, the first to be held after a series of significant changes in electoral law and the alignment of constituencies in the country.
