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Malaysia’s Anwar eyes snap poll before fuel subsidy crunch truly bites

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is considering calling a snap election before a mounting fuel subsidy crisis forces him to make spending cuts that would…

By Samantha Johnson / May 19, 2026
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is considering calling a snap election before a mounting fuel subsidy crisis forces him to make spending cuts that would strip him of the conditions needed to win one.
A national vote is not due until early 2028, but the political logic of going early is becoming harder to dismiss. Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance is fraying at the edges, coalition partner Barisan Nasional has announced it will contest the coming Johor state poll alone, and two of his most prominent former lieutenants just walked out the door.
Against that backdrop, Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim held an audience with Anwar on Monday, a day after the prime minister had publicly mused about seeking a fresh mandate if internal divisions continued to widen.

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The catch is that seeking such a mandate now means doing so while bills are mounting.

A man goes to fill a lorry with diesel at a petrol station in Shah Alam, Malaysia, earlier this month. Photo: EPA
A man goes to fill a lorry with diesel at a petrol station in Shah Alam, Malaysia, earlier this month. Photo: EPA
The government warned in March that fuel subsidies under its BUDI95 and BUDI Diesel programmes could reach 4 billion ringgit (US$1 billion) a month, as ripple effects from the US-Israel war on Iran pushed crude prices ever higher.

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