Malaysia's Abdullah avoids vote

The prime minister is facing calls for his resignation

The prime minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Badawi, has avoided having to face a no-confidence vote in parliament.

The small Sabah Progressive Party, a member of the ruling coalition, had said it would call the vote.

But it failed to submit the motion 14 days in advance, a requirement of Malaysian parliamentary rules.

Parliament also passed a non-binding motion supporting the government's decision to raise the cost of fuel.

The move to end decades of government subsidies means that gasoline prices have risen by 41% and diesel by 63%.

People are angry about the fuel price rises, while the ruling coalition is still reeling from heavy losses in March's general election.

The coalition lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since independence in 1957.

Mr Abdullah has been facing mounting pressure to resign, and the no confidence vote would have been the first such motion against a prime minister in Malaysia's history.

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