In a national television address on Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of the country's parliament, paving the way for snap elections which must be held in the next 60 days.

"Yesterday I met the king ... and I sought his permission to dissolve the parliament. And the king agreed to my request to dissolve parliament today," Ismail said in his address to the nation.

Ismail said the past years have seen several unprecedented developments after the national elections in 2018, including political uncertainties with the changes of several prime ministers and the COVID-19 pandemic, which together have harmed the country's socioeconomic and political situation. 

"With this announcement, the mandate will be returned to the people. The people's mandate is a powerful antidote for the country to restore political stability and create a government which is firm, stable and respected after the elections," he said. 

The polling date has 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 the House of Representatives. 

The possibility of national elections has been hotly discussed over recent months with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the biggest party in the ruling coalition, calling for elections to end the political uncertainty which has seen two prime ministers appointed since 2020 following the resignation of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in February of that year.

Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as prime minister on March 1, 2020, but later resigned following the withdrawal of support by members of parliament from his own coalition. Ismail was then appointed prime minister on August 21, 2021.

(With input from Xinhua)