KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysian state elections Saturday ended in a return to the political status quo, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government and the Islamist opposition both retaining control of three states each as widely expected.
The Election Commission announced that Anwar’s multi-coalition government triumphed in Selangor and Penang, two of the country’s richest states, as well as Negeri Sembilan. It said the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc, which includes the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), captured three poorer Malay heartland states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu in the north.
