Malaysia general election to be held on May 9; close contest expected

(Apr 10): Malaysia will hold a general election on May 9, the Election Commission (EC) said on Tuesday, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling-coalition’s 61-year grip on power.

“The EC has held a meeting and established that polls must be held within 60 days of the date of dissolution,” the commission’s chairman, Mohd Hashim Abdullah, told a news conference, adding that the date was set for May 9.

Candidates would be nominated on April 28, he said, meaning an 11-day campaign period.

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