Malaysian PM dissolves Parliament, calls snap polls

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Parliament will be dissolved Monday, paving the way for general elections that are expected to be held in early November.
The elections come nine months before Parliament’s term expires, following calls for early polls from Ismail’s United Malays National Organization. UMNO, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, was feuding with its allies and is aiming for a big win on its own.
Ismail said he met Sunday with King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who consented to the dissolution. He said he decided to call early polls to counter criticism over the legitimacy of his government — the third since 2018 polls.