KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s government said it would allow Malay-language Bibles to be printed locally, in a major concession to the country’s minority Christian community to soothe anger over seized shipments of their holy books.

The government’s announcement late Saturday comes ahead of an April 16 election in Sarawak state on Borneo island, where Christians account for more than 40 percent of the population. The poll is seen as a crucial barometer of support for Muslim-majority Malaysia’s ruling coalition that may determine whether it will call early general elections.

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