Malaysian elections could be held soon

UMNO president and Malaysian Prime Minister Mr Najib Razak is due to go on a two-week vacation this week, but party leaders are talking up the likelihood of polls being called by next month.

BN component parties in the eastern Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak have called for polls to be delayed until the second half of the year, citing clashes with celebrations for the Keamatan and Gawai Dayak harvest festivals.

However analysts told The Malaysian Insider that "the internal momentum has peaked" for the ruling coalition after riding on the back of political reforms and the RM500 (S$204) cash handout to poor households under the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) scheme.

BN sources have also told The Malaysian Insider that July is a likelier date, before the Ramadan fasting month begins on July 19.

"The thinking has always been to hold it before Ramadan. By September, it will be too far and you cannot, for example, repeal the Internal Security Act twice," said political scientist Ong Kian Ming.

Last month, Bloomberg cited unnamed officials as saying that June 3 is the proposed date for what is likely to be the tightest contest in Malaysian electoral history.

SOURCE: http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC120514-0000029/UMNO-bullish-on-snap-polls
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