Malaysia will head to the polls on November 19, officials have said, after the prime minister called for a snap election to restore political stability.
According to international media, the “election date is November 19”, Election Commission chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said at a press conference on Thursday.
Nomination day for candidates will be on November 5, with 97-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad among those expected to join the fray.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament earlier this month and called for the vote a year ahead of schedule to shore up his slim majority in the 222-member legislature.
Ismail’s UMNO, the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, will contest the polls head-on with its rival Pakatan Harapan alliance led by Anwar Ibrahim.
Others in the fray include a host of Malay-based parties, including Pejuang which is led by Mahathir, who has said he will be available to become prime minister for the third time.
Ismail is the third prime minister Malaysia has had in four years, underscoring the political instability that followed the last general elections in 2018.
Malaysia to head to polls in November
