Malaysian rivals neck and neck ahead of election The coalition of Najib Razak, the 59-year-old prime minister, is projected to win 85 parliamentary seats, according to a survey released by Merdeka Centre, while a three-member opposition alliance led by Anwar Ibrahim, 65, will take 89 seats. The polling house said 46 seats were too close to call, while two seats will go to smaller parties. Mr Najib's National Front currently holds 135 seats in the 222-member parliament, while Mr Anwar's People's Alliance has 75 seats. Should the opposition win, it would be a remarkable comeback for Mr Anwar, a former deputy prime minister sacked in 1998 and subsequently jailed on corruption and sodomy charges that have since been quashed. They are in a dead heat. Both are enjoying equally strong support. It will be a very tight contest," said Ibrahim Suffian, head of Merdeka Centre. Mr Anwar's alliance surged into political prominence in 2008 elections when it won more than a third of seats in parliament and gained control of several states. It was the biggest blow for the National Front since independence from Britain in 1957 and was spurred by discontent about corruption and racial and religious discrimination. The poll, which questioned 1,600 people between April 28 and May 2, showed 42 per cent agreed the opposition should be given a chance to govern while 41 per cent supported the National Front, which has been in power for 56 years. Four per cent of voters refused to respond while 13 per cent were undecided, it said. The poll's results have a margin of error of 2.45 per cent. About 13.3 million Malaysian are eligible to vote for parliament members and lawmakers in 12 state legislatures on Sunday. A fifth of the voters will be voting for the first time.