Malaysia general elections on May 5

, April 10: The election commission of

on Wednesday announced May 5 as the date for the country's long-awaited general

, official sources said.

The deadline for filing nominations for the parliamentary and state polls was April 20, election panel chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof said.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who dissolved the parliament on April 3 to pave way for the polls, said welcomed the announcement and urged his countrymen to look forward to the polls.

Razak's National Front (Barisan Nasional), which has ruled for 56 years, is expected to face a stiff challenge from the opposition coalition, People's Alliance.

In the last general elections in 2008, the ruling party had lost two-third control of the parliament for the first time since it started ruling the South-east Asian nation in 1957.

Over 13 million people will vote for the 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state assembly seats on the May 5 elections.

OneIndia News