LANDSLIDE WIN: (March 22) Barisan Nasional won a massive victory in the general election and in the process recaptured Terengganu. The victory is a personal triumph for Prime Minister and Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who now has a clear mandate from Malaysian voters for his campaign for reforms. Abdullah, in his victory speech at the PWTC after the 14-party coalition secured its two-thirds parliamentary majority, said the big win meant the rakyat accepted and supported the Barisan.
EC APOLOGISES: (March 22) The Election Commission (EC), reeling from heavy criticism over blunders in the verification and voting process, offered its apologies, saying that it “deeply regretted” what happened on polling day. Its chairman, Tan Sri Rashid Abdul Rahman, accepted responsibility for the fiasco in Selangor on polling day that prevented many from casting their vote. However, he refused to accede to demands by opposition parties, particularly the DAP, Parti Keadilan Nasional and Parti Rakyat Malaysia, that he resign.
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