Malaysia to hold general elections on May 5

Malaysia will hold general elections on May 5, an electoral official said today, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling coalition's 56-year hold on power in the country.
The Election Commission (EC) announced that General Elections will be held on May 5 while nomination process will take place on April 20.
The EC said all 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats would be decided on the same day.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak dissolved the Parliament on April 3, paving the way for the 13th general election. The general elections will determine whether Razak's Barisan Nasional coalition will win once again to continue its rule of nearly 56 years.

In the last general elections in 2008, the ruling coalition lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time.
However, since 2008 polls, Najib has been working towards regaining lost ground by announcing several incentives including regular cash allowances for the poor.
About 13. 3 million Malaysians will be eligible to cast ballots in the elections to fill seats in the Parliament and to choose representatives for 12 state legislatures.
Voters in Sarawak state will not elect a new state assembly, as the current state government still has three years of its mandate left after the polls in 2011.