Malaysian PM announces dissolution of parliament, calls for election

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Friday that the parliament will be dissolved on Saturday, paving way for the next general election to be held within 60 days in which he is seeking another mandate after holding the position for nine years. 

In a televised speech delivered after a special cabinet meeting, Najib said he has already acquired the consent of King Sultan Muhammad V to dissolve the parliament. 

The date of polling day is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of Malaysia. Normally, a general election should be held no later than two months after the dissolution of the parliament. Voters will elect the 222-member Dewan Rakyat, or House of Representatives. 

For the past six decades after Malaysia's independence, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the party which Najib serves as president, has won every election together with the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysian Indian Congress as its two major component parties. 

This time, Najib is facing the challenge of 92-year-old former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who quit UMNO in 2016 and later joined the opposition alliance as the chairman of a new party called Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia. Mahathir has said he hoped that the Malay voters, traditionally the supporters of the ruling coalition, could turn to the opposition and change regime this time. 

Najib has been recently on a campaign trail to many places nationwide. At an event in the eastern state of Sarawak on Wednesday, Najib appealed to the local people to support BN to hold their ruling position. 

In the last general election held in 2013, BN managed to win 133 out of the 222 seats, though it obtained less than half of the popular votes. Enditem 
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