Malaysia's ruling coalition has lost at least three states and part of its majority in parliament to the opposition in a general election.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi won a landslide victory in 2004 polls, but pollsters said he was being punished this time over high inflation, rising crime rates and ethnic tensions in the multicultural nation.
The prime minister reportedly accepted the defeat in several areas of the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for half a century.
The coalition's performance looked to be the worst since 1969, when it last lost its two-thirds majority in parliament in a result that triggered serious racial clashes.
