Malaysian opposition agrees to hold snap election in year
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob waves from a car as he leaves Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 21, 2021, after the inauguration ceremony. REUTERS KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia's United Malays National Organisation party, which is the biggest component of the ruling coalition, agreed to hold a general election this year, its top decision-making body said.
An election is not due until Sept 2023 but several UMNO lawmakers have been calling for Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to hold early elections for a stronger mandate and due to infighting.
The coalition of Ismail is not unanimous on the timing of the election. Many lawmakers from his own UMNO party and other alliance partners have cited economic woes such as the rising cost of living, the year-end monsoon season and the year-end monsoon season, and ensuing flooding for not holding polls this year.
The UMNO's supreme council agreed that parliament should be dissolved in the near future, so that the election should be held this year, party secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said in a statement late on Friday.
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He said that the prime minister will present a proposed dissolution date to Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah. He did not say when the PM would meet with the monarch.
Within 60 days of the dissolution of parliament, an election must be held.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy and the king usually acts on the advice of the prime minister. The king has some discretionary powers, including withholding consent for the dissolution of the parliament.
Malaysia has been grappling with political uncertainty since 2018 when former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad led an opposition coalition to win the election over UMNO, which had ruled the country through a stable coalition for more than six decades.
Since then, two governments have collapsed, including Mahathir's.
Ismail became Malaysia's third prime minister in two years last year.