Campaign for Malaysian elections begins as candidates submit nominations

PEKAN/LANGKAWI, Malaysia, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Candidates contesting the Malaysian general election submitted their nomination papers on Saturday morning, formally kicking off an 11-day election campaign in which the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, led by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Razak, is seeking a new mandate.

Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has won every election since Malaysia's independence, together with BN, which also has the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysian Indian Congress as its two major component parties.

Before submitting his nomination papers on Saturday at Pekan, a parliamentary seat Najib held for more than four decades, he already led a charm offensive around the country to woo voters, promising generous handouts as well as infrastructure projects such as affordable housing and transportation facilities.

Najib will face the challenge of Pakatan Harapan (PH), an opposition alliance led by his former mentor and Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

The 92-year-old Mahathir, who became the opposition's candidate for prime minister in January, registered for the general election in the northern island of Langkawi, which he had turned into a international tourist hotspot from a backwater island during his time in office. Enditem