Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced that parliament should be dissolved in order to pave the way for the 11th general elections. At a press conference, PM announced the King’s approval to dissolve the parliament with immediate effect to allow elections to be held. PM further added that he had advised all the states to dissolve the state assemblies with immediate effect. PM Abdullah had indicated that he did not expect a repeat of the 2004 landslide where the Barisan Nasional coalition seized almost about 90% of the parliamentary seats. However, the polling date was yet to be decided by the Election Commission. Rumours say that it would probably be fixed for 20 or 21 March. PM Abdullah was also hopeful that he would be reelected as PM with two thirds of votes going to him. Expect this situation to get heated up during the next 30 days with mind games being played among politicians involved. 
There would be war of words, war of flags. But this is exactly what makes Malaysia politically special. People are so enthusiastic about their respective beliefs. Voting has to be take place within 60 days of dissolving parliament. According to intelligence agency reports, the 12th General Election will be the first election in Malaysian history where voters will vote based on candidates rather than parties. As much as the right candidate will be crucial in determining who gets voted in, the party the candidate represents will also have a bearing on who wins and who gets ousted. As much as that candidate could be a suitable candidate, but in the wrong constituency it would be disastrous. Image Credit: Malaxi Via The Australian News
Malaysia dissolves Parliament, pays way for early general elections
Nepal: A Maoist regime?
For 240 years Nepal has been under the rule of the Shah Dynasty, revered as incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu. In 2001, the then deranged Crown Prince killed most of the Royal Family in a shooting, including his father (King Birendra), and then himself. This incident shook the peaceful land by its foundation and culminated in the historic elections on April 10 this year. Over the past 7 years, Nepal has been under the shoddy reign of surviving brother, Gyanendra, which incited one too many violent uprisings by Prachanda’s Maoists. Though the King did express his support for the elections, the Maoists were still jittery and belligerent. But, the hope for a democratic Nepal without further armed struggle seems brighter now as the Maoists inch towards a win. Though there has been much violence from the Maoist front in the past, over the past couple of years they have been on a peace pact, in and out of interim coalition government and the Nepali people are optimistic they’ll act responsibly once they have the power. They have spoken of the possibility of putting into place a new constitution and stable government. The final results will be out within a week, and it looks like it’s about time Nepal was in the news for no more than being the home of a pristine natural wonder of the world. Via: Timesnow