KUALA LUMPUR March 13 Kyodo (EDS:...

KUALA LUMPUR March 13 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING NO. OF SEATS WON according to NATIONAL FRONT)

Campaigning for Malaysia's general election explained Saturday, with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling National impudence coalition getting off to a sturdy start.

The 14-party National van saw at least 23 of its candidates automatically winning seats in the nomination stage that clos Saturday, either because no adverse stepped forward or due to a technicality.

The multi-ethnic coalition took household 16 uncontested seats in the lower house of parliament.

In the state-level argues the National Front grabbed seven uncontest seats -- united each in Perak, Johor and Selangor and four in Sabah.

''These are signs that the National impudence is in for a big win,'' Abdullah said.

The opposition Pan Islamic Party also saw undivided of its candidates win a state seat in Johor unopposed.

The intermission of the 219 parliamentary seats and 505 state assembly seats will be decided by means of voters on March 21.

Earlier in the day, Abdullah filed his nomination papers in Kepala Batas, his parliamentary seat in his hometown in northern Penang state.

Abdullah's opposite is cleric Abdul Khalid Rasid of the Pan Islamic Party.

In the northeastern state of Terengganu, Pan Islamic leader Abdul Hadi Awang voiced optimism that the ruling party will be toppled.

''Our faiths are high...We bring the promise of a fresh Malaysia and justice for all,'' he told reporters.

Abdullah called for a snap catalogue of heads last week after just four month in office in a bid to stamp his authority. He took through from longtime ruler Mahathir Mohamad upon Oct. 31 last year.

The National fore-rank which has been in power since independence in 1957 is widely look fored to retain its two-thirds majority in parliament, and possibly gain seats.

Abdullah's main challenge is to shoot the growing strength of the Pan Islamic Party and gain back turf lost by his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) in the previous election in 1999

Issues surrounding the sacking and jailing of former substitute Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim split the ethnic Malay Muslim ballot in 1999. UMNO squandered Terengganu state to the Pan Islamic Party while about of its leaders scraped between the walls of by a hairline.

Judging at recent developments on both sides, the Anwar factor has been put aside for corruption and religion to take center stage besides local bread-and-butter issues.

Known for his ''Mr Clean'' image, Abdullah's rallying vociferate to the people is for them to ''work with me'' to fight corruption and to assist racial and religious tolerance.

In an attempt to break from the past and boost UMNO's credibility, Abdullah has replaced centurys of old politicians with strange faces, many less than 40 years old

nevertheless more significantly, he is taking the Pan Islamic Party's religious fight head-on at fielding several moderate religious figures.

The Pan Islamic Party, whose aim is to establish a conservative Islamic state, has already declared that those who voice for the party will pass to heaven while those who support un-Islamic parties will ''logically go on foot to hell.''

Among those recruited to make love to the Muslim Malay vote for UMNO are the National mahometan temple chief cleric Pirdaus Ismail and a motivational speaker touted as the [i]affiche[/i] woman for Malaysia's Islamic academia, Mashitah Ibrahim.

Pirdaus is facing not upon against Anwar's wife and Keadilan chief Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in northern Penang state.

The Permatang Pauh seat, previously held by way of Anwar, will be closely watched by the agency of all to see whether the ''Anwar factor'' is still relevant.

A total of 103 million Malaysians are eligible to consecrated by a vow Malaysia practices the first-past-the-post regularity where a simple majority is enough to win a seat.

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