KUCHING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is unlikely to call for an early general election and is expected to let the current Parliament run until the end of next year.
Political analyst Professor James Chin said there was little reason for Anwar to dissolve Parliament early, despite possible pressure from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) following the state elections.
Chin said BN and PAS were keen to capitalise on the political momentum from the elections in Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Melaka by pushing for an early general election.
However, he said other political parties, including Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), were not keen on an early national election.
“Most people, the rest of the country, they don’t really want a general election. I know for a fact that GPS doesn’t want one and GRS also doesn’t want an early general election,” he told Sarawak Tribune today (Nov. 14).
Chin was commenting on Senator Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim’s recent statement questioning calls for an early dissolution of Parliament while the Budget 2027 approval process was still underway.
He said he generally agreed with Ahmad that Parliament should complete the Budget process before considering dissolution.
However, Chin said he did not expect the Budget to face significant obstacles in Parliament.
“Just get the Budget through, which they will anyway. There’s nothing controversial in the Budget that will be blocked,” he said.
Chin also said that even if BN and PAS secured a combined total of about 36 seats in the Melaka election, Anwar would still retain sufficient parliamentary support to remain in office.
