Malaysia Opposition Blocks Repeal of ‘Fake News’ Law in Challenge to Mahathir

Commuters sit in front of an advertisement discouraging the dissemination of fake news, at a train station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 28, 2018. Stringer/Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia’s opposition-led Senate blocked an effort to repeal a law against “fake news” on Sept. 12, presenting the first major challenge for the new government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir, 93, secured a stunning election win in May, ending the decade-long rule of former premier Najib Razak and changing Malaysia’s government for the first time in six decades.