Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dissolved parliament ahead of a general election.
Najib, whose National Front (BN) coalition has been in power for 56 years, made the announcement in a televised address on Wednesday.
“The king has accepted my request to dissolve parliament effective April 3,” he said from the administrative capital Putrajaya, adding he hoped his coalition would win a “solid majority”.
Najib will face opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in what is expected to be a tightly-contested race.
The election is expected to be held on April 27 following a two-week campaign period.
‘Resort to fraud’
Najib’s National Front coalition lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time in 2008 elections and faces a three-party opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Pact) led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Analysts predict the election will be the closest ever amid concerns over corruption, the rising cost of living and crime under the Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957.