The coming twin by-elections for Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar could act as an indicator for the possible fate of 81 marginal constituencies out of 222 seats amid the ongoing 1MDB saga and RM2.6 billion political donation scandal in the next general, said Ibrahim Suffian, programme director of independent pollster Merdeka Centre.

Indeed, these controversial issues could be a referendum for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s approval and the support for the BN coalition that he leads, said the analyst.

“It is interesting to see if Umno can win in the two by-elections with current issues, included the controversial issues surrounding 1MDB, the RM2.6 billion donation, as well as the (slowing) economy that affect the people,” said Ibrahim.