Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Days ahead of polls opening on Sunday May 5, the country’s two leading contenders for power are slugging it out in a final push for votes.

Prime Minister Najib Razak is attempting to fight off a challenge from long-term opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, as the race tightens in its final hours.

Meeting hundreds of voters, each candidate has been trying to overcome what has been termed a “culture of scandal” that has permeated domestic politics.

Najib has vehemently denied links to the 2006 murder of a Mongolian translator, while Anwar has had to make a comeback from a six-year spell in prison for “sodomy”, after being accused of having a homosexual affair.

But as the campaigns draw to a close, each man has focused on energising their core supporters and encouraging voters to turn out at the ballots on Sunday.