Voting behaviour after the collapse of a dominant party regime in Malaysia: ethno-religious backlash or economic grievances?

Abstract

ABSTRACT The rise of an Islamist party (PAS) in the 2022 general election caused concern that a massive shift towards an ethno-religious backlash was under way in Malaysia. This paper argues that this is not necessarily the case. First, the number of PAS’s seats was inflated by malapportionment. More important, analyses of original surveys reveal that PAS benefitted from the last-minute, pro-PN swing of undecided voters, who were mainly motivated by economic concerns. This paper illustrates how economic, distributive, and governance grievances affected voting behaviour and discusses how to balance competing demands after the collapse of a dominant party regime.