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Saturday, October 01, 2022

Umno confirms GE15 must be held this year




Umno confirms GE15 must be held this year


Umno leaders meeting this evening have agreed that the next general election should be held this year.


KUALA LUMPUR: Umno leaders have confirmed that the general election should be held this year, with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob given discretion on proposing a date to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the dissolution of Parliament.

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the party’s Supreme Council, which met this evening, had agreed that Parliament should be dissolved “soon”, for elections this year.


Under the Federal Constitution, a general election must be held within 60 days of Parliament being dissolved.

He said the consensus for elections this year was in line with the party’s long held stance, which was “to return the mandate to the people after the delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, following the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government”.


Ahmad said it was the people’s right to elect a competent government able to resolve the nation’s economic problems.

He added that all party machinery has been instructed to finalise preparations for the elections.

The current Parliament’s term runs until July 2023 and a general election must be held by mid-September at the latest. However, some Umno leaders have pressed Ismail, who is a party vice-president, to call for early elections.

After the Supreme Council meeting, party vice-president Khaled Nordin told reporters that Umno accepts that the decision on a date for GE15 is at the discretion of the prime minister.


Umno would leave it to Ismail to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on when to dissolve Parliament and pave the way for the general election.

The party has made its stance on the elections known to Ismail, he said. However “we (Umno) respect the constitution and accept that seeking to dissolve Parliament is at the discretion of the prime minister. We leave it to the prime minister,” he told reporters.

Khaled added that Umno is prepared for the elections, regardless of when it is held.



Supreme Council member Zahidi Zainul Abidin said the party had proposed that Parliament be dissolved this year. He called on all party members to present a united front.

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