Najib Razak, who became Malaysia’s prime minister in April, has proved to be a more effective political leader than his predecessor and will be difficult to displace, according to a senior opposition official.

Looking to Malaysia’s next general election, Lim Guan Eng, chief minister of the state of Penang and secretary-general of the Democratic Action party, told the Financial Times: “There is a chance [of the opposition winning a parliamentary majority], but it is not going to be easy. It is probably harder under Najib than under Abdullah [Badawi].”