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Abdullah admitted he does not expect a landslide victory for the ruling coalition in the upcoming polls as was the case four years ago. (Reuters) |
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Wednesday, February 13, called early general elections which his ruling coalition is likely to win, though not with the same majority it currently enjoys.
"I've informed Parliament and the Election Commission," Abdullah told a press conference, adding he has received the king's consent to dissolve the parliament a year ahead of schedule, reported Agence France Presse (AFP).
He said electoral officials will meet soon to set a date for the long-anticipated polls, the 12th in the country's history.
Voting must be held 60 days after parliament is dissolved.
The government traditionally allows just a two-week campaign period, which would mean a ballot in early March.
The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, whose main component is Abdullah's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), holds 200 of the 219 seats in the outgoing legislature.
The three main opposition parties – the left-leaning Democratic Action Party, the Islamist party Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) and former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan - hold 12, seven and one seat respectively.
The new elections will see 222 seats contested after the creation of new constituencies.
In the heavyweight South Asian nation, Muslim Malays constitute about 60 percent of the 26-million population.
Ethnic Chinese and Indians - most of them Buddhists, Hindus and Christians - make up about 35 percent. The rest are indigenous people and Eurasians.
Less Popular
Abdullah does not expect a landslide victory for his coalition in the upcoming polls as was the case four years ago.
"2004 was a special election and it was extraordinary," he admitted.
"I pray that BN will get at least two-thirds of the votes in the upcoming election."
The multi-racial coalition has been in power in Malaysia since independence half a century ago.
"I imagine they will do well but not as well as last elections," Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, political analyst and UMNO-watcher from the National University of Malaysia, told AFP.
"The last election was based on expectations -- this one is based on his performance in the last four years."
Abdullah, who succeeded longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad in 2003, suffered a plunging popularity recently.
A survey by the independent Merdeka think tank showed his approval rating slipped to an all-time low of 61 percent last December, from 91 percent in 2004.
The government has been criticized for coming short of key elections promises like fighting corruption and enhancing economy growth.
Some ethnic and religious minorities have recently voiced growing unhappiness.
In the past few months, Indians held a string of anti-government demonstrations to demand economic and social equality.
PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaafar expect that the government's piled-up problems would improve the opposition election chances.
"I foresee that we will see a substantial swing towards the opposition especially among the non-Malays, who are very unhappy with the economic situation, crime rate and the overall lack of direction that Abdullah's leadership has shown."
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