In Malaysia, the 13th general election has been called by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak after a year-long speculation.More than 13 million Malaysians will go to the polls on May 5. This is the first time that the ruling party has gone through the full five-year term before dissolving parliament.Najib, who became prime minister after his predecessor quit four years ago, has never led the party in a general election and political pundits argue that this has put him in a difficult position to force through any potential policy changes. The election could be the closest in history. Najib needs to reverse the huge gains the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR) made in 2008, when the ruling National Front lost five of 13 states and the two-thirds majority which it had enjoyed since Independence about 57 years ago.The issues of the campaign include race, vote buying, electoral fraud, Hudud law and corruption.
