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Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has dissolved parliament, setting the stage for Malaysia's 15th General Election since independence, aptly known as GE15.
The election will take place on Nov. 19, with Nomination day to be held on Nov. 5.
There are still many details to be worked out, with several high profile politicians yet to confirm what seat they will be standing for, such as Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Then there is the matter of intra-faction squabbles, where the alliances between the major parties are also yet to be formally confirmed.
For example, as of time of writing, Syed Saddiq's MUDA party is likely to contest under the Pakatan Harapan banner, but there are still ongoing negotiations.
Romance of the three kingdoms
But despite these minor issues, three main coalitions have formed, and the parties are more or less defined by them, regardless of whether they are formally part of these coalitions.
These alignments can be thought of as their relationship to the Malaysian political titan that is Barisan Nasional (BN).
Barisan Nasional, the National Front
BN is a coalition of parties that ruled Malaysia for over 60 years, first as the The Alliance, then in their modern incarnation as BN.
They are made up of several parties, but there are three main ones, in keeping with Malaysia's unique take on racial and ethnic politics.
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), founded by Onn Jaffar in 1946, remains the dominant party of Malaysian politics, meant to represent the country's Malay population.
It has been referred to as a nationalist party, and its stated aim is "Ketuanan Melayu", which means "Malay lordship".
However, in recent years, an undercurrent of corruption accusations broke out into the open, as then party leader and Prime Minister Najib Razak, was implicated in the 1MDB scandal, along with other UMNO politicians.
Investigations into the 1MDB scandal led to corruption charges and trials, which has affected Najib, his wife Rosmah Mansor, and the current UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
It also cost them the 2018 election, bringing about the first non-BN government in the country's history.
MCA & MIC
Allied to UMNO are the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) parties.
Together, these three parties are meant to represent the interest of the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia, and under the banner of BN, provide comprehensive representation for Malaysia.
These three are not the only parties in BN, there are and have been various others, including parties representing East Malaysia, as well as allied "Friends of BN".
But they have been the most constant forces in the national coalition.
BN also controls the most state assemblies, and arguably the catalyst for GE15 was the recent Johor state election where the party did exceptionally well, securing 40 out of 56 seats, up from 19 in 2018.
However, analysts warned of overconfidence, as the result was despite only a marginal increase in vote share, as argued in this NUS report.
BN has always been the central focus of politics in Malaysia, and held a super majority in parliament for most parliaments. However, it has not held a parliamentary supermajority since 2008, and lost power to the Pakatan Harapan coalition in 2018.
Pakatan Harapan, the Pact of Hope
Pakatan Harapan (PH) has been the driving force of opposition politics for over two decades, in its various forms. Like BN, there are numerous parties in the coalition, and some have come and gone over time.
However, the two stalwarts of the coalition are Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR or People's Justice Party), and the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Added to this is AMANAH, the National Trust Party, which advocates for a brand of reformist Islam.
The PH coalition was formed in the aftermath of the breakup of Pakatan Rakyat coalition when the other force in Malaysian opposition, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), left in 2015 due to differences with the DAP.
The Mahathir effect
PKR first chipped away at BN dominance, depriving them of a supermajority in 2008, then a popular vote majority in 2013, before its successor coalition PH won the election in 2018.
The 2018 PH government was joined by Anwar's nemesis, Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir was the longest serving PM under UMNO, but considers his successors to be corrupt, and has hence voiced the opinion that UMNO should be disbanded.
Before the 2018 election, Mahathir and other UMNO leaders formed a new party, Bersatu.
Mahathir's standing with the Malay community of Malaysia was considered by some to be a major factor in tipping the scales in favour of the opposition.
The collapse of the pact
They would rule until 2020. But they were ousted from power when Bersatu split with both PH and Mahathir, and made a deal to govern with UMNO, forming the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
PH has been in opposition since, and has yet to fully make peace with the breakaway factions of Bersatu, such as Mahathir's Pejuang, and former youth minister Syed Saddiq's Muda.
PH currently controls three state assemblies. The DAP controls Penang, and Keadilan controls Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
Keadilan
Keadilan was formed after former UMNO Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was ousted from UMNO in 1998 on charges of sodomy and corruption, for which he was convicted and jailed for 6 years. The party logo is an allusion to the black eye he received while he was in custody.
Anwar, having come through the UMNO ranks as a firebrand Malay nationalist, runs Keadilan as reformist party.
DAP
The DAP is a remnant of Singapore's own People's Action Party, founded after Singapore became independent from Malaysia.
It carried on some of the key messages of the PAP's sojourn in Malaysian politics, such as the goal of a meritorious "Malaysian Malaysia". Ties between the two parties are now almost non-existent.
The party is now led by Anthony Loke, having formerly been led by Lim Guan Eng.
The DAP is accused of being a "Chinese party" or "anti-Malay" party by its opponents. This is a label that the party rejects. Incidentally, the ascendancy of the DAP on the national stage occurred at the same time as the decimation of the MCA and MIC's vote share.
In 2018, the BN aligned parties won one seat each. The MCA won 31 seats in 2004, and 15 seats in 2008.
As pointed out by this ISEAS article, DAP seats tend to come from urban or semi-urban, non-Malay majority seats.
Part 1
Top image via Wikipedia, Ismail Sabri, Zahid Hamidi, Anwar Ibrahim, Wan Azizah's Facebook pages