Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar sails through confidence vote

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has cruised through a vote of confidence, cementing his leadership after a general election last month produced no clear winner. Anwar, whose coalition led the Nov. 19 election with 82 seats, subsequently formed a unity government with several smaller rival parties. But former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Malay-centric opposition alliance, which has 74 parliamentary seats, questioned his legitimacy. The vote, called by Anwar’s government, was a show of strength intended to remove doubts over his authority to govern and the stability of his administration. Leaders of parties in his government agreed on Friday on a cooperation pact that gives him the backing of 148 lawmakers, a two-thirds majority that no leader has had since 2008.