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Malaysia PM says he may propose early polls to king in Thursday meet

An election is not due until September 2023, but Ismail has been under pressure from some factions of his ruling coalition to hold the vote earlier for a stronger mandate and due to infighting.

By Newsd
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Malaysia PM says he may propose early polls to king in Thursday meet

The prospect of an early election in Malaysia loomed as Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he could propose a date for the dissolution of parliament during a regular meeting with the country’s monarch on Thursday, state media reported.

An election is not due until September 2023, but Ismail has been under pressure from some factions of his ruling coalition to hold the vote earlier for a stronger mandate and due to infighting. Sabri said the meeting with King Al-Sultan Abdullah was mainly to discuss cabinet matters, and a date for dissolution would be submitted only if there was time, Bernama new agency said.

“Still unsure whether it will be brought up. If it takes too long to discuss cabinet issues, it will be about cabinet only,” Ismail said. His government is scheduled to table its 2023 budget in parliament on Friday, the finance ministry has said, putting to rest some speculation that a dissolution could be announced before then.

Ismail arrived at the national palace to meet with the monarch just before 4 p.m. local time (0800 GMT). The premier’s spokesperson had said earlier that the meeting between the two was a “routine”, weekly meeting.

Last week, Ismail’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, which forms the biggest component of the ruling coalition, said the premier will seek the king’s consent to dissolve parliament this year, leading to speculation that Ismail could call for polls any day. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy and the king typically acts on the prime minister’s advice. But the king does have certain discretionary powers, including withholding consent for dissolution of the parliament.

There have been calls from the public, opposition and even some ruling party lawmakers to hold off from having an election at the end of the year due to the seasonal monsoon rains and floods. Malaysia was hit with unusually heavy rain late last year and floods that caused around 6 billion ringgit ($1.3 billion) in damage.

The king visited the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Thursday morning and was briefed on weather conditions and flood preparation by various government agencies, Bernama reported. The closed-door briefing was held at the request of the king, Bernama said.

Some cabinet ministers have written to the monarch this week, requesting him not to hold elections this year due to flood risks, local media reported. ($1 = 4.6290 ringgit)

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