KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s allies were trounced in a regional election, results showed on Sunday, a grim first electoral test for the leader after three years in office.

Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won just one of the 20 seats it contested in Sabah, down from the seven it held previously in the eastern state on Borneo island.

“The Sabah election outcome shows Anwar’s coalition lost badly,” said Lee Kuok Tiung, an associate professor and political analyst at Universiti Malaysia.

Saturday’s election was the first of a series of regional polls that will test Anwar’s support ahead of national elections due by early 2028 in the Southeast Asian nation.

Despite PH’s setback, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah – a coalition of state-based parties aligned

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