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Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been sworn into office for a new five-year term, after a stormy election saw his ruling coalition majority dwindle.
Badawi, who took the oath of office in front of King Mizan Zain Al Abidin and other Malaysian dignitaries, has rebuffed calls for him to resign after his party lost control of five of Malaysia’s 13 states to the opposition.
"I pledge to carry out my duties honestly and with all my abilities," Abdullah said, reading out the oath. "I pledge to protect and uphold the Constitution."
The opposition alliance now has 82 seats in the 222 member Parliament, a massive jump from its 19 seats in the outgoing house.
It was the coalition’s worst electoral performance in 51 years.
The election was dominated by racial tensions between Malaysia’s Indian, Chinese and Malay communities, as well as inflation and the growing gap between the lower and middle classes.
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