KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia's ruling party cruised to victory in the Johor state assembly election on Saturday, likely adding pressure on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to call for early federal polls this year.
The National Front coalition led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), in which Ismail Sabri is a vice president, had secured 38 seats out of the 56 up for grabs as of 11 p.m. local time, earning a two-thirds majority. About three seats were still being counted at press time. The party's victory in the state bordering Singapore was confirmed by the national news agency Bernama, based on a still-unofficial count.
