Malaysian general elections set for May 9

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Malaysia’s Election Commission announced on Tuesday that the general election will take place on May 9 with the nomination day set for April 28. The announcement came after the nation’s parliament was dissolved on Saturday.

Chairman of Malaysia Election Commission, Mohamad Hashim Abdullah (C) gestures as he arrives before announcing national polls and candidate nomination dates in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur on April 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

Mohd Hashim bin Abdullah, chairman of Election Commission, at the press conference also announced after nomination day said that candidates will have 11 days to campaign.

Malaysian voters will go to the polls on May 9 for the general election where scandal-hit Prime Minister Najib Razak's long-ruling coalition faces one of its toughest ever challenges from veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad.

Hashim said military and police forces, as well as voters outside Malaysia, could begin early voting on May 5.

Polling day will be on a Wednesday, an unusual move as national elections in Malaysia are usually held on the weekend.

An aeroplane (R) flies past the Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) building in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur on April 10, 2018. /VCG Photo

According to data from the Election Commission, a total of 14.9 million voters are eligible for voting. Candidates will contest 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats, including all states except the eastern Borneo state of Sarawak, which conducted its state election in 2017.

A simple majority of 112 parliamentary seats will deliver a victory to Najib, who is leading the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition against the challenge of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

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.

ajib Razak, Malaysia's prime minister, speaks during the Invest Malaysia conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

Both BN and the opposition alliance led by Mahathir, called Pakatan Harapan, have released their campaign manifestos, in which generous benefits were promised to the voters.

(With input from wires)