GEORGE TOWN, April 3 – The Penang legislative assembly is expected to be dissolved tomorrow to enable the state election to be held simultaneously with the 13th federal polls. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng(Pic) said today he would announce the dissolution of the state assembly after an audience with the Yang Dipertua Negeri, Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, at 9.30 am tomorrow.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat to enable the 13th general election to be held. Penang has 40 state seats, 19 on the island and 21 on the mainland, in Seberang Perai. After the general election in 2008, the Pakatan opposition pact formed the state government when the DAP won 19 seats; the PKR, nine; and PAS, one. The BN won 11 seats, all of them represented by Umno.
Penang has 13 parliamentary seats, six of them on the island and seven on the mainland. In the last general election, the DAP won seven of these seats; the PKR, four; and the BN, two. Two PKR MPs, Datuk Seri Zahrin Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal), later left the party and declared themselves as independent MPs. The BN MPs are former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Kepala Batas) and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Tasek Gelugor).
BERNAMA
