Malaysia PM warns against undermining king in call for election

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob cautioned against usurping the king's authority, as pressure mounts within his party for him to call for a general election soon.

Ismail told reporters on Thursday that parliament's dissolution - a precursor to a nationwide vote - was under the king's authority and must be discussed with the monarch first.

"If we determine our own date, the king would say we took over his power," he said when met at the party headquarters. "We will wait." Ismail added his party had yet to discuss the matter internally.

Buoyed by landslide wins in recent state elections, leaders in Ismail's ruling United Malays National Organisation have called on the government to bring forward the general election that's due July next year.

The party's annual general assembly, which began on Wednesday night and runs through Saturday, was dominated by debates on the nationwide vote.

UMNO deputy president Mohamad Hasan in his policy speech on Wednesday said that "the time is now and not next year" to hold the general election. Any delays would allow the opposition to grow stronger, he added. BLOOMBERG