MALAYSIA PM SABRI DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT, PAVING WAY FOR EARLY VOTE

Mon 10 October 2022:

On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament, paving the way for national elections in the coming weeks, Reuters reported.

The election commission will announce the date of the election, Ismail said in a televised address.

An election must be held within 60 days of parliament’s dissolution.

Ismail said he met with King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to gain approval for the dissolution, and the Election Commission would decide on the date of the vote. By law, a general election must be held within 60 days after parliament is dissolved.

“This dissolution was carried out in order to put a stop to the voices that all this while have been questioning the legitimacy of the government,” Ismail said in a televised address. He became Malaysia’s fourth prime minister in four years when he was appointed in August 2021.

An election was not due until September 2023, but Ismail has been under increasing pressure from some factions of his ruling coalition to hold the vote earlier for a stronger mandate and due to infighting within the alliance.

The election would come just as the economy starts to feel the pinch of rising costs and a global slowdown.

It would also coincide with the year-end monsoon season and floods, which could reduce voter turnout.

Many lawmakers from his ruling alliance and the opposition have warned against holding elections this year due to the anticipated floods.

According to a statement from Palace Comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, the King “expressed his disappointment with the current political developments and had no choice but to grant the request by the prime minister to return the mandate to the people to elect a stable government.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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