Malaysia PM Anwar open to considering early general election as Zahid calls for snap polls

Malaysia’s next general election could come earlier than expected, but Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signaled that he is not rushing toward a decision. He said he was open to considering calls for an early vote, while stressing that he would first weigh the proposal carefully before presenting it to King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar for Parliament’s dissolution.

“I can consider those suggestions. But the decision will be made by me after I have thought about it. I will then present it to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” Anwar was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times. His comments followed calls from Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Abdul Hadi Awang, president of the opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, or PAS, for snap polls.

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I can consider those suggestions. But the decision will be made by me after I have thought about it. I will then present it to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The country’s 16th general election must be held by February 2028. Anwar’s unity government includes his Pakatan Harapan coalition, Zahid’s Barisan Nasional and coalitions based in Borneo. But the alliances have not followed a single electoral line across state contests. BN contested the Johor election independently, while it worked with the opposition Perikatan Nasional in Negeri Sembilan. PAS also urged its supporters to vote for BN in Johor.

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For me, these are the important focuses. Given the current situation, the government remains stable, and we should concentrate on these matters.

Political maneuvering is continuing in Melaka. Four Democratic Action Party assemblymen from Pakatan Harapan withdrew their support for the state government, led by a BN chief minister. After the Negeri Sembilan election, BN and Perikatan Nasional leaders said they would soon begin talks on an electoral pact there. A Melaka election must be held by February next year.

Even while considering an early national vote, Anwar said his government’s immediate focus was the economy, people’s welfare and efforts to eliminate corruption and abuse of power. “For me, these are the important focuses. Given the current situation, the government remains stable, and we should concentrate on these matters,” he said. He also said public officials with clean records should not fear investigations by the anti-corruption commission, police or tax authorities. Zahid has said an early election would be “better,” while also saying BN is prepared if Anwar completes the government’s full five-year term.

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