KUALA LUMPUR: All states, with the exception of Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka and Johor should hold their state elections simultaneously with the national polls.
Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this was necessary to ensure a smooth polling process and also to save costs.
He said the people should also not be burdened with having to attend elections a second time.
He said this when announcing the dissolution of Parliament today. Previously, some states including Penang and Kelantan, had indicated their intention not to dissolve their state assemblies in tandem with the general election.
The four states mentioned by Ismail Sabri have held elections within the past two years.
Ismail Sabri, in explaining his decision to dissolve Parliament some eight months before the current term expires, said it was partly to address the need to return the mandate to the people for them to legitimise the next administration.
"This dissolution is to end the question of the current government's legitimacy... that this is a 'kerajaan pintu belakang' and 'kerajaan tebuk atap' (backdoor government)," he said.