KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Parliament will be dissolved on March 28, 29 or 30, making way for a general election that must be held by August, The Star newspaper reported on Thursday (March 15) without giving any sources.
It said a new government would be in place before mid-May, suggesting that the election date could be set for the end of April or early May.
Analysts and ruling party sources told Reuters this week that Prime Minister Najib Razak was confident of an election victory, and that polls could be called for as early as April.
The term of the current government ends on June 24.
Mr Najib’s government has been affected by a scandal linked to financial irregularities in state-run investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The controversy has brought unprecedented shifts in political forces in Malaysia, where the rule of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has held power since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957, could be under threat.
Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who helped found the ruling United Malays National Organisation — the lynchpin party of BN — and his opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance, has emerged as a major challenger to Mr Najib, who denies any wrongdoing over 1MDB. REUTERS
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