Parliament dissolved with King's consent, says Ismail Sabri

PETALING JAYA: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has consented to the dissolution of Parliament, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The Prime Minister said on Monday (Oct 10) that the King had given his formal consent to dissolve Parliament, paving the way for the 15th General Election (GE15) to be held within 60 days.

"I had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Sunday (Oct 9) afternoon. He consented to the dissolution of Parliament on Monday in accordance with Article 40(2)(b) and Article 55(2) of the Federal Constitution," he said.

Ismail Sabri made the announcement in a special address broadcast live on local television and social media on Monday.

He recommended that the heads of state except Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka and Johor take the necessary action to dissolve their respective state assemblies so that state polls can be held on the same date as GE15.

It was reported that Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Negri Sembilan had said that they would not be holding state polls concurrently with the GE15 if held this year.

Penang has 13 parliamentary constituencies, Kedah (15), Selangor (22) and Negri Sembilan (eight).

"It should be conducted at the same time to ensure that the rakyat are not burdened, aside from ensuring the smoothness of the democractic process and to save costs," said Ismail Sabri.

"The dates for nomination and polling as well as other related matters will be decided by the Election Commission," he added.

Ismail Sabri said that getting the people's mandate is the best method to ensure political stability and the formation of a solid, stable and respected government.

"The dissolution is being carried out to silence questions of the government's validity such as claims of a 'backdoor government'," he added.

Ismail Sabri said that he hopes the rakyat will use their power to choose a government that is able to resume the implementation of Budget 2023 and maintain political stability.

He also said that he hoped voters would choose a government that preserves the unity and harmony of Malaysian Family of various religions, races and ethnicities.

Ismail Sabri had an audience with Al-Sultan Abdullah on Sunday (Oct 9), the second time in four days.

On Thursday (Oct 6), Ismail Sabri had an audience with the King, which Istana Negara later explained was the routine weekly pre-Cabinet meeting.