Malaysia saw its biggest anti-government rally in nearly a decade at the weekend, suggesting that the government of Abdullah Badawi could face a tougher time at the next general election than its landslide victory in 2004.

The protest was called by the election watchdog group Bersih, which means "clean" in Malay, to demand electoral reforms ahead of polls expected to be called in the first quarter of 2008. All three main opposition parties supported the demonstration.