Malaysian prime minister faces no-confidence vote in new political threat after polls - AP

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (AP) -- A party in Malaysia's ruling coalition said Wednesday it plans to seek a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister in an unprecedented act of rebellion that could force him to resign or call for new elections.

The Sabah Progressive Party, a member of the 14-party ruling National Front coalition, said its two federal legislators would back a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when Parliament resumes Monday.

"We have lost confidence in the prime minister of Malaysia," party leader Yong Teck Lee told a news conference in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state on Borneo island.

The lawmakers must first convince Parliament's speaker to allow a no-confidence vote, but their biggest challenge will be getting enough legislators to support the motion. Prominent opposition politician Lim Kit Siang said a no-confidence motion needs a minimum 14-day notice so it can't be voted on Monday.

The move would be a first in Malaysia's political history: No Malaysian prime minister has ever faced a vote of no-confidence presented by a member of his own coalition before.

The National Front has 140 lawmakers in the 222-member Parliament, enough to defeat any vote against Abdullah. But after the front's dismal performance in March 8 elections - largely blamed on Abdullah's leadership - there is no guarantee that all ruling coalition lawmakers would want to protect him.

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