KUALA LUMPUR – If Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi’s call for Malaysian polls to be held “the earlier the better” comes to fruition, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim may not get to table his 2027 “election” budget as planned on Oct 9.

For that to happen, however, Zahid’s UMNO-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition would need enough support from other government-aligned parties to defeat the Budget. This would show that Anwar no longer commands the confidence of Parliament, forcing either his resignation or a dissolution of the House and paving the way for fresh polls. Malaysia’s next general election, or GE16, must be held by early 2028.

Malaysia’s upcoming Budget 2027 is widely anticipated by analysts and observers to function as an “election” budget. With the next general election due by early 2028 and Anwar facing calls for an earlier snap poll, the Budget is seen as a key opportunity for the government to win voter support.

The UMNO president made his party’s position public on Sept 3, although it was already an open secret, especially after BN’s handsome wins in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state polls in July and August, respectively, along with newfound ally Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). The Islamist party also expressed its support for Parliament to be dissolved soon.

But PAS leads the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN). Zahid’s hope can only become a reality if his BN, with 30 MPs, can get the backing of other ruling colleagues to defeat the Budget, paving the way for fresh polls possibly by end-November. A general election has never been held in December or January, which in recent years have frequently been marked by deadly floods tha...