By Rozanna Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's coalition suffered a crushing defeat to a key partner in a regional poll on Saturday, raising questions over the strength of the blocs' alliance at the federal level amid talk of an early general election.
While the result in Malaysia's southern Johor state will not directly impact Anwar's majority in parliament, it could deepen strains between Anwar's Pakatan Harapan grouping and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition - rivals that joined forces to form a government after a hung general election in 2022.
While Pakatan and BN insist their federal partnership can withstand differences at the state level, Anwar said in May he would consider calling a snap poll if internal divisions continued to widen.
BN, the incumbent in Johor, secured a commanding victory on Saturday, winning 48 of 56 state assembly seats, according to the Election Commission's official tally on Sunday. Pakatan won the remaining eight, down from 12 previously.
"Hopefully, this win will trigger a blue wave across other states," BN Chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said at a briefing late Saturday, referring to the coalition's banner colour.
The Johor outcome will likely embolden BN, led by the once-dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and fuel concerns that Anwar's coalition is losing ground among ethnic Chinese voters and reform-minded supporters who helped propel him to power.
Frustration has mounted among progressive allies over the slow pace of promised reforms, while coalition partners have frequently clashed over the handling of sensitive racial and religious issues in the multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority country.
The predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party, the largest party in the ruling alliance, has said it would review its role in the government pact, a move that came after Pakatan was similarly defeated in the Sabah state elections last year.
The Johor vote came just weeks before an election in Negeri Sembilan state on August 1 that will serve as another test of federal stability. Pakatan is expected to contest all 36 seats, having won 17 seats in the last state poll.
Opposition bloc Perikatan Nasional, which includes former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Bersatu group and the Islamist party Pas, was wiped out in Johor, losing all 33 seats it contested, including the three it previously held.
The fledgling Bersama party, led by Anwar's protégé-turned-rival Rafizi Ramli and supported by a wave of defectors from Pakatan, was similarly trounced.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
