The elections come nine months before Parliament’s term expires, following calls for early polls from Ismail’s United Malays National Organization. He said he decided to call early polls to counter criticism over the legitimacy of his government — the third since 2018 polls. It is likely to be held early November before the year-end monsoon season that often brings devastating floods. Four of the country's 13 states had held polls earlier. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Hope Alliance, which won the 2018 polls, is the main contender but without Mahathir’s support.

Source: The Standard October 10, 2022 20:44 UTC