Malaysian PM dissolves parliament, calls for early national election

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of the country's parliament on Monday, paving the way for national elections which must be held in the next 60 days.

In a televised speech, Ismail Sabri said he had received the consent of the country's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in accordance with the country's constitution.

Ismail Sabri said the past years have seen several unprecedented developments after the national elections in 2018, including political uncertainties with the changes of several prime ministers and the COVID-19 pandemic, which together have harmed the country's socio-economic and political situation.

"With this announcement, the mandate will be returned to the people. The people's mandate is a powerful antidote for the country to restore political stability and create a government which is firm, stable and respected after the elections," he said.

"May the people use the power they have to choose a government that is able to maintain political stability, restore and strengthen the economy, as well as maintain the harmony of the Malaysian family and unite a multi-religious, multi-racial and multi-ethnic Malaysia," he said.

In a statement Sultan Abdullah said he had no option but to consent to the dissolution of Parliament so that the mandate to choose the government would be returned to the people.

He stressed that a strong country is important to guarantee continued political and economic stability for the wellbeing of the people and the country as a whole.

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 the House of Representatives.

The possibility of national elections have been hotly discussed in recent months with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the biggest party in the ruling coalition, calling for elections to end the political uncertainty which has seen two prime ministers appointed since 2020 following the resignation of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in February of that year.

Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as the prime minister on March 1, 2020 but later resigned following the withdrawal of support by members of parliament from his own coalition. Ismail Sabri was then appointed as the prime minister on Aug 21, 2021.

Azmi Hassan, a senior research fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, told Xinhua in a phone interview that UMNO is pushing for an election due to the current advantageous situation for them.

"As for the factors to be considered by voters, what they want is a strong government which has a solid majority. Political stability is a key consideration for voters who have grown weary over the frequent changes and general political instability," he said.

"It is also important that any government coming in must be able to deliver on economic rejuvenation as the country has suffered setbacks caused by the pandemic and now the global uncertainty due to the conflict in Ukraine which has in part driven up food prices and inflation," he added.