EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah, who made the announcement, said nomination day will be held on April 28 while early voting will be on May 5 giving candidates 11 days to campaign.​

Parliament was dissolved last Saturday (April 7) to pave way for the election.

This time around, a total of 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats are at stake to secure the mandate to administer the country which has around 31.7 million people.

BN won the last general election by taking 133 seats out of the 222 contested.

At the time of the parliament’s dissolution BN held 132 seats, DAP, 36; PKR, 28; PAS, 13; Parti Amanah Negara, seven; Parti Warisan Sabah, two; Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), one each; and Independents, two.