Malaysia’s Umno in tough spot ahead of Johor vote after veteran claims royal interference

Malaysia’s ruling Malay party was pulled into a sensitive palace row on the eve of Johor’s nomination day after a veteran figure quit Umno and accused the southern state’s royal household of influencing the timing of a snap election. The controversy lands at a difficult moment for the United Malays National Organisation, the Malay nationalist party that anchors Barisan Nasional (BN). It is trying to defend Johor, its birthplace and one of its last major strongholds, without allowing the campaign