Malaysia readies for Sabah polls

Malaysia readies for Sabah polls

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (AFP): The local assembly in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah was dissolved on Monday for elections likely to prove the first test for the ruling coalition ahead of national polls.

The widely anticipated announcement by Sabah Chief Minister Bernard Dompok followed months of speculation about the timing of the election, the first in the state since 1994 when the ruling

National Front coalition took control of the assembly. While dates for the nomination of candidates and the polling day itself have yet to be fixed, most analysts expect the election to be held on March 12 or 13.

The current term of the federal parliament does not end until April 2000. But political observers have been speculating for months about the possibility of a snap election given signs of economic recovery.