On 6th May 2013, only a day after the results from the 13th Malaysian general election were released, the US State Department shared their remarks. Patrick Ventrell (Acting Deputy Spokesperson), who was present during the daily press briefing, congratulated Prime Minister Najib Razak and his coalition for winning the #GE13.
Patrick was also asked the following question, “Do you recognize the victory of the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Najib, or do you support the claim by the opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim that the election were fraudulent?”.
To which he remarked:
We congratulate the people of Malaysia on holding the most competitive election in their country’s history. We were pleased to see Malaysians across the political spectrum engaged in the electoral process in large numbers with unprecedented enthusiasm. We congratulate Barisan Nasional and Prime Minister Najib on their victory in Malaysia’s 13th general election. We look forward to working with the new government once it is formed.
We are aware of concerns about voting irregularities and note that the opposition parties faced significant restrictions on access to the media. Addressing these issues is important to strengthen confidence in the electoral process. And so we call on all parties to peacefully respect the will of the voters.
The above transcript was also posted on the US Embassy in Malaysia’s website. Full transcript of the briefing dated 6th May 2013 here.
Meanwhile, the petition that was sent in to the White House by a concerned Malaysian seeking urgent attention regarding “democracy crisis in Malaysia” has, to date, 221,416 signatures.