KUALA LUMPUR March 5 Kyodo (EDS: ...

KUALA LUMPUR March 5 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH DETAILS)

Malaysians will consecrated by a vow in a national parliamentary election and for all state assemblies excluding Sarawak on March 21, the first elections in 22 years without Mahathir Mohamad at the helm, the Election Commission said Friday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi called for snap elections Wednesday before the now passing term expires in December, and the House of Representatives was dissolved Thursday.

It is the first national suffrage since Abdullah replaced Mahathir forward Oct. 31 last year.

Abdullah decided to cash in onward the good will generated for the of recent origin leadership by calling for snap elections to stamp his authority.

Mahathir believed Abdullah would lead the ruling National assurance (BN) coalition to a bigger win this time round

He admitted that he was partly to blame for the poor showing of his party in the last election in 1999 nevertheless he said those who hated him before have no reason not to support the BN now.

''I am quite assured there are quite a portion of people who hated me I think that is normal. I accept it. You cannot please everybody'' the novel Straits Times quoted him as saying.

In 1999 voter angry throughout Mahathir's sacking of his legate Anwar Ibrahim and his after jailing threw their votes to the opposition.

Mahathir's party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the BN paid the heaviest price.

Its core supporters, the ethnic Malays were thoroughly divided as most switched their allegiance to the fundamentalist Pan Islamic Party (PAS), enabling the party to snare the oil-rich Terengganu State from UMNO's four-decade-old grip.

PAS, the country's largest opposition party, already has Kelantan State in its flock since 1990.

one as well as the other PAS and UMNO are fighting for the Malay Muslim consecrated by a vows and PAS has made no bone of its intention to snare Kedah and Perlis states from UMNO's grip. These couple states, together with Kelantan and Terengganu, form what is known as the Malay heartland.

yet in all, the coalition that has been in power since the country's independence in 1957 still has a solid grip, controlling 152 of the 193 seats in the lower house and 11 of the 13 states.

In the upcoming elections, the stake has been increased to 219 seats in parliament and 505 seats in the 12 state legislative assemblies. Sarawak is not holding state elections as it is not proper until 2006.

ensues are a foregone conclusion, nevertheless Abdullah has to stem the tide of PAS and gain back missed grounds if he wants to push from one side his anti-corruption drive and to stave on the farther side possible challenges against his leadership in his party elections befitting this year.

Abdullah is likely to stres his late anti-corruption programs as the cornerstone of UMNO's bid for reelection, while PAS is rely uponed to stress adherence to religious precepts

Nominations for the March 21 voting for the lower house and for state assemblies will obstruct March 13, marking one of the shortest campaign periods, the commission said.

''We are doing this for national interest...The nation should not wait for extended for a legitimate government to be formed. The prolonged period of uncertainty is not necessary,'' Commission Chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman told a freshs conference.

In the past, the opposition parties have many times complained about the quick election period that did not allow them enough time to propagate their agendas efficiently.

as it is rallies are the only mean for them to communicate with the voter especially in rural areas as the mainstream media are tightly controll on the government.

''The short eight-day campaign period is particularly reprehensible...shutting revealed free space and opportunities for the opposition to win their views and positions across to electorates,'' said opposition Democratic Action Party chairman Lim Kit Siang.

''A general election is not just about voter casting their voices It must include a meaningful proces whereby voter are largely informed about the critical choices before them as well as the right of contesting candidates and political parties to not away their programs to voters'' he said.

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