In Melaka, is avoiding another Umno rout Anwar’s best hope?

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is up against it in next month’s Melaka state poll, as his ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition risks yet another electoral wipeout at the hands of its federal partner Umno.

The two are competing head-to-head in nearly all of the 28 state assembly seats up for grabs on November 14, in a contest widely seen as favouring an incumbent state administration led by the United Malays National Organisation’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Whether BN holds onto power in Melaka matters less than whether Anwar and PH can mount a strong challenge, observers say – especially given the string of bruising electoral defeats the prime minister has suffered in recent months.