Monday’s Parliament meet may give clues on polls date, says report
Published on: Saturday, October 01, 2022
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, seen here with finance minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz (left) during a 2023 budget consultation session, is under pressure to hold the polls later this year. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Parliament will reconvene on Monday for its final sitting of the year as analysts study the tabling of the 2023 budget later in the week for clues on when the next general election may be called, according to a report.
The meeting will run through Nov 29, with 25 of the 32 days devoted to the passage of the budget, according to the Parliament website.
ADVERTISEMENT Speculation has intensified after the Umno Supreme Council said yesterday it had decided Parliament should be dissolved soon, and that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob would seek an audience with the King to propose a dissolution date.
An election isn’t due until September 2023, but Ismail is under pressure from factions within Umno to hold polls as soon as possible, Bllomberg reported.
The opposition and some ruling party politicians have warned against having an election during the flood season that begins in November after floodwaters late last year left dozens dead and led to losses estimated at more than RM6.5 billion.
“Given that this budget will be tabled before the next general election, we expect it to be election-friendly with expansionary measures,” United Overseas Bank economists, including Julia Goh, wrote in a report last month.
ADVERTISEMENT “Although the economy has made a strong comeback since the pandemic, there are rising downside risks for 2023’s outlook amid concerns of a global recession, elevated energy costs, persistent inflation pressures, and lingering geopolitical uncertainties.”
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