Malaysia’s Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of the parliament following which, general elections will be held in Malaysia next month.
On November 19, there will be a federal election, according to Al Jazeera, which cited the Election Commission. Some of the 13 states that make up the nation will also hold elections for assemblies. Al Jazeera estimates that 21 million individuals are eligible to vote.
According to the Strait Times, Yaakob’s declaration follows increasing pressure from party associates who support United Malays National Organisation (Umno) president Zahid Hamidi, who has pushed for the poll to be held as soon as feasible since the year began. Notably, the largest party in the ruling coalition in Malaysia is the UMNO political party.
Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah’s “disappointment with present political circumstances” was expressed in a statement from the Palace following Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s decision to dismiss parliament, according to the Strait Times.
As a result, the statement continued, “His Majesty expresses his wish that the Election Commission conducts the 15th General Election as soon as possible, taking into account the northeastern monsoon, which is predicted to begin in mid-November 2022.”
According to the Strait Times, the Malaysian parliament was dissolved on Monday strictly in compliance with Articles 40 (2)(b) and 55(2) of the Federal Constitution and after the Premier had at least two meetings with Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah between Thursday and Sunday evening.
Malaysia has been governed by the UMNO political party since it gained independence from Britain in 1957. However, a financial scandal in which the former prime minister Najib Razak was sentenced to 12 years in prison for graft brought it down in the 2018 elections.
In a corruption case involving the theft of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund, ex-prime minister of Malaysia Najib Razak just lost his final appeal, setting the stage for a 12-year prison term for corruption.
According to Al Jazeera, Najib will become the first former prime minister to be imprisoned after receiving a 12-year term as a result of the conviction.
In anticipation of the appeal, the former prime minister has been out on bail since 2018.
In July 2020, a lower court ruled Najib responsible for the transfer of 42 million ringgit (USD 10.1 million) from SRC International, a former division of 1MDB, to his personal bank account, guilty of abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust.
Najib, a son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers who attended school in the UK, was raised with the intention of becoming prime minister.