Voting begins in tight Malaysian national election

KUALA LUMPUR: Millions of Malaysians began voting Sunday in tight national elections that could see the long-ruling coalition ousted after nearly 56 years in power.

Incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak has voiced confidence that the National Front coalition will remain Malaysia's dominant political force despite facing its most unified opposition challenge since independence from Britain in 1957.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's three-party alliance hopes widespread grievances over how the National Front has struggled with accusations of arrogance, abuse of public funds and racial discrimination will translate into a surge of votes to propel the opposition into power.

Many of Malaysia's 13.3 million registered voters lined up at schools and other voting centers to cast their ballots early, showing off fingers marked with ink to prevent multiple voting after they had finished.

The National Front held 135 seats in the 222-member Parliament that was dissolved last month. It is anxious to secure a stronger five-year mandate and regain a longtime two-thirds legislative majority that it lost in 2008.