PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission (EC) announced on Thursday (October 20) that Malaysia’s 15th General Election (GE15) will take place on November 19.
According to EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh, nomination day will be conducted on November 5 and early voting will take place on November 15.
The dissolution of parliament, which would allow for the holding of elections for a new government before the end of the year, was announced by interim prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on October 10.
Additionally, the legislatures of the states of Perak, Perlis, and Pahang have been dissolved, and state elections will take place simultaneously with the presidential contest.
Six additional states, three of which are governed by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance and the other three by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), have elected to keep their legislatures in place for the time being.
Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Penang are the three states governed by the PH, whereas Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah are the three states under PAS rule.
PAS is a member of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition together with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), among others.
Due to recently held elections, the state assemblies of Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, and Melaka are out of equation.
An election had not been due until September 2023, Mr. Ismail Sabri had come under pressure from some members of his coalition’s ruling party to hold the ballot sooner.
The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) supreme council agreed on September 30 that parliament needed to be dissolved quickly in order for GE15 to take place this year.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the president of the UMNO, who is accused of 47 counts of criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money laundering, had been a strong proponent of calling for early elections in order to purportedly get a new mandate from the populace.
In light of Malaysia’s Meteorological Department’s warning of floods during the north-east monsoon season, which generally lasts from November to March, UMNO’s push for an early GE15 has drawn criticism from the opposition and Mr. Ismail Sabri’s own Cabinet members.
Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah declared after the dissolution of parliament that he had no choice but to approve of the action.
Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara, stated in a statement on October 10 that the king was disappointed in the nation’s present political developments.
There are 222 seats in the Lower House.
113 seats were gained by PH in GE14. The Democratic Action Party, Parti Amanah Negara, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and Bersatu were its constituent parties at the time.
While PAS won 18 seats, Barisan Nasional won 79. Other parties and independent candidates took home 12 seats.
Before it disintegrated due to internal conflict, the PH government lasted for 22 months.
