Parlimen bubar hari ini

Parlimen dibubarkan berkuatkuasa hari ini selepas diperkenan oleh Yang di-Pertuan Agong untuk memberi laluan kepada pilihan raya umum ke-13. 

Beliau membuat pengumuman itu secara langsung pada jam 11.35 pagi ini selepas bertemu dengan Yang di-Pertuan Agong sebelumnya.

Berikutan itu, beliau meminta menteri besar dan ketua menteri, kecuali Sarawak dan Negeri Sembilan, supaya memohon perkenan raja dan sultan masing-masing untuk membubarkan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) supaya pilihan raya umum dapat diadakan secara serentak.
DUN Negeri Sembilan terbubar secara automatik pada 28 Mac bagi memberi aluan kepada pilihan raya negeri diadakan.
    
Manakala Sarawak telah mengadakan pilihan raya negeri pada 16 April 2011. 
  
Pilihan raya umum kali ini ialah yang pertama buat Najib yang akan memimpin jentera BN selepas mengambil-alih jawatan perdana menteri daripada Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pada 3 April 2009. 

Selepas dibubarkan, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) harus menetapkan tarikh pilihan raya akan berlangsung. Undang-undang menetapkan ia mesti dibuat dalam tempoh 60 hari.
Mandat kerajaan semasa akan berakhir pada 28 April 2013.

Mengikut Perkara 55 (4) Perlembagaan Persekutuan, pilihan raya umum mesti diadakan dalam tempoh 60 hari selepas tarikh pembubaran Parlimen. 
   
Menurut Bernama, berdasarkan daftar pengundi terkini, jumlah pemilih berdaftar di seluruh negara ialah 13.3 juta orang yang berdaftar sehingga Disember 2012.
   
Sejumlah 222 kerusi parlimen akan dipertandingkan dalam pilihan raya umum ali ini termasuk termasuk 31 kerusi di Sarawak, manakala 505 kerusi DUN, akan dipertandingkan di peringkat negeri.
   
Ketika Parlimen dibubarkan, komposisi di Dewan Rakyat menyaksikan BN enguasai 137 kerusi, manakala selebihnya disandang DAP (29), PAS (23) ,Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) (23) kerusi, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) dan parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanahair (KITA) masing-masing satu kerusi.

Lapan lagi kerusi disandang anggota Parlimen Bebas.
   
Dalam pilihan raya umum 2008, BN gagal menguasai majoriti dua pertiga Dewan Rakyat setelah hanya menang 140 kerusi berbanding pakatan pembangkang 82 kerusi.

Selain gagal menguasai Kelantan, BN juga gagal mempertahankan pemerintahan di Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak dan Selangor.
   
Perak bagaimanapun kembali kepada BN kira-kira setahun kemudian setelah tiga wakil rakyat yang dipilih mengisytiharkan sokongan mereka kepada BN.

Bagi SPR pula, ia akan melaksanakan lapan elemen baru dalam pilihan raya umum kali ini sebagai langkah penambahbaikan perjalanan pilihan raya selaras dengan cadangan yang terkandung dalam laporan akhir Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen Mengenai Penambahbaikan Pilihan Raya yang dibentangkan di Parlimen pada 3 April lepas.
   
Lapan elemen itu termasuk penggunaan dakwat kekal, pengundian awal untuk menggantikan undi pos bagi anggota polis dan tentera, membenarkan undi pos bagi masyarakat Malaysia di luar negara dan warga media serta dan menetapkan tempoh kempen tidak kurang 10 hari.
   
Selepas pilihan raya umum ke-12, sebanyak 16 pilihan raya kecil diadakan, ekoran kematian dan peletakan jawatan, iaitu enam bagi kerusi parlimen dan 10 kerusi DUN, yang menyaksikan masing-masing lapan kerusi dimenangi BN dan pembangkang.
   
Pilihan raya kecil Parlimen ialah bagi kerusi Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang, Hulu Selangor, Sibu dan Batu Sapi manakala pilihan raya kecil DUN ialah di Bukit Selambau, Batang Ai, Manek Urai, Permatang Pasir, Penanti, Bagan Pinang, Galas, Batu Sapi, Tenang, Merlimau dan Kerdau.
   
Jumlah pilihan raya kecil berkenaan antara yang terbanyak dalam sejarah pilihan raya negara selepas penggal 1995 hingga 1999 menyaksikan  17 pilihan raya kecil diadakan.-malaysiakini 

It's on, finally - Parliament dissolved today...

After months of playing a guessing game with voters, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has announced the dissolution of Parliament today, paving the way for the 13th general election.

He said this in a 15-minute 'live' telecast on all television stations at 11.30am, following an audience with the Agong early this morning.

“This morning I had met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and sought his permission to dissolve the Parliament. And he had given his consent for the same,” Najib announced. 

Najib called on all state assemblies to be dissolved today as well, to enable state and parliamentary polls to be held simultaneously. 

The Election Commission (EC), according to law, will have to fix the date for the election, which must be held within 60 days.

“I advise all state leaders to face their respective heads of state to seek permission for dissolution of state assemblies as well so that we can have simultaneous elections across the country,” he said.

Najib, who was wearing a red tie, was flanked by his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, and made the announcement in the presence of all of his cabinet ministers.

The announcement falls on the fourth anniversary of Najib’s tenure as prime minister, and he asked the rakyat to remember the “transformation” that the government had been under way in the past four years under his leadership.

“In these four years you have witnessed the national transformation has taken place,” he said, stressing that his is a “responsible” government.
Only official media were allowed to broadcast the announcement from within Najib’s office in Putrajaya.
Previous prime ministers who were known to take questions from reporters after declaring the dissolution of Parliament. 

Reporters from other media waited in the rain outside the office, as they were not permitted to enter or take shelter in the security station's waiting area.
However, the reporters - some of whom arrived as early as 8am - were told at around noon that there would be no press conference.

"We initially thought there was going to be a press conference. That is why we all came and camped outside, but then we were told at the last minute that we can only watch via 'live' streaming," said a disappointed reporter who did not want to be named.

"It would have been okay if we were allowed to watch inside (instead of waiting in the rain)."
 

Over to EC

Contacted later, Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the commission will call a meeting to decide the date for nominations and polling.

This can only be done after the EC receives a letter of notification from the speaker of Parliament, he said.

Asked when he expects to receive the letter, Abdul Aziz (left) said: "Maybe today or tomorrow or Friday or Saturday.

"But once we receive the notification letter, we will meet to fix a date for the polls."
Soon after Najib's announcement, Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim revealed on his Twitter account that he will seek an audience with Selangor sultan in the shortest possible time.

"Thank God, finally the Parliament is dissolved. I will seek an audience with Sultan as soon as possible to discuss the status of Selangor state assembly," reads his Twitter posting. 

According to law, the general election must be held within 60 days of dissolution of Parliament.
Nevertheless, it is speculated that EC is likely to pick a date in early May.
The minimum campaign period is 10 days, a new requirement imposed by the EC in line with a recommendation by the parliamentary select committee on electoral reform.

Najib will be seeking his first mandate since assuming the post of prime minister on April 3, 2009, after taking over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Today marks the fourth year of Najib's premiership.
In 2008, Abdullah had led BN to its worst ever electoral outing, losing five states as well as its long-time hold on a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

There are 222 parliamentary seats currently up for grabs, with the BN holding 137 seats, Pakatan Rakyat 75, and 10 in the hands of Independents and three other parties.
Pakatan controls four states - Selangor, Penang, Kelantan and Kedah - while BN has nine under its belt.

This time around, Najib is seen as facing an increasingly cohesive federal opposition, which aims to unseat the BN and install Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.

This election will see a huge number of new voters - an increase of 3 million, or 25 percent, since 2008, making it the biggest spike in Malaysia’s electoral history.-malaysiakini

cheers.