It was a day of shocks for Barisan Nasional as some of its big guns tumbled in the general election. Though it had managed to secure a simple majority in parliament, the opposition alliance of the PKR, DAP and Pas managed to take control of Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Perak and retained Kelantan comfortably.
The Day Before - BN ignore analyst reviews(analyst comments)
Basically, what we are seeing right now is that there is a massive swing against the Barisan Nasional among the ethnic Indian and Chinese electorates," said Merdeka Center research firm pollster Ibrahim Suffian.
"And also a significant swing of about 15 percent, I estimate, from among the Malay electorate as compared to the 2004 elections," he said, referring to the Muslim Malays, who dominate the nation's population.
Judging by the extent to which the unofficial reports are coming through there is a slim chance that the BN's two-thirds majority [in parliament] might be breached," he said.
The opposition, rallied by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, has formed a loose alliance aimed at depriving the coalition of its two-thirds majority that allows it to change the Constitution at will.
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