KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 10: Malaysia is likely to hold elections on May 5, the pro-government New Straits Times said today, citing unidentified political sources.
The day for nominating candidates will be on April 20, the New Straits Times said, meaning a 2-week campaign period for what is shaping up to be the tightest race in the Southeast Asian nation’s 56 years of post-colonial history.
Opinion polls suggest a narrow victory for the National Front led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is under pressure to restore the two-thirds majority the coalition lost for the first time in 2008.
Najib faces a confident opposition led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The ringgit currency rose to its highest level since Jan 21 after the New Straits Times report. It appreciated 0.4 percent to 3.0245 to the dollar, also due to continuous bond inflows.
Financial markets were otherwise mostly unchanged, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock index up 0.2 percent.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the polling and nomination dates at noon (0400 GMT) on Wednesday.
Officials from the Election Commission could not be reached for comment.
(AGENCIES)
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