Malaysian PM announces parliament dissolution

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday said parliament will be dissolved on Saturday, paving way for the next general election in which he is seeking another term after holding the post for nine years.

In a televised speech delivered after a special cabinet meeting, Najib said he has already acquired the consent of King Sultan Muhammad V for the move, reports Xinhua news agency.

The election date is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of Malaysia. 

Normally, a general election should be held no later than two months after the dissolution of the parliament. 

Voters will elect the 222-member Dewan Rakyat, or House of Representatives.

For the past six decades after Malaysia's independence, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has won every election together with the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysian Indian Congress as its two major component parties.

In the last general election held in 2013, BN managed to win 133 out of the 222 seats, though it obtained less than half of the popular votes.