Malaysian polls: anything possible, except new govt

By Mark Bendeich

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's election on Saturday is likely to shape the course of economic and social policy over the next five years, even if it doesn't deliver a new government.

The ruling coalition has governed in various forms since independence in 1957, telling voters it is the only group that represents all major races and can keep the peace between them.

The Barisan Nasional coalition portrays opposition parties are racially divided and a threat to stability, but even the opposition admits it is too weak to challenge for power.

Instead, elections boil down to a battle over public policy and reputations, but there can still be a surprising number of political casualties.

Here are some possible scenarios.

THE PM'S WORST NIGHTMARE

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wakes up on the morning after the vote to discover that he is still in office but he has failed to secure a two-thirds majority in federal parliament, the first time the coalition has failed to do this since 1969.

Worse, he has lost Terengganu, the biggest oil producing state, to the opposition Islamist party, PAS, which also held onto neighboring Kelantan state despite a concerted coalition campaign to win it back.