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Malaysian prime minister's comment adds fuel to rumors of snap elections

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Malaysians appeared to be ready for general elections -- in his clearest indication so far that early polls are near.

Speculation is mounting that Abdullah will call for national ballots by mid-March, even though his ruling coalition's five-year mandate only expires in the middle of next year.

Abdullah told CNN in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday that he was hoping for a "good mandate" to enable the government to implement public development programs.

"We will call for the election when I think everything is all right and at the moment I think people are ready for the election," Abdullah said in the interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. Excerpts were published by Malaysian media yesterday.

Abdullah had said in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week that his National Front coalition would probably not be able to repeat its huge electoral success in 2004, when it won 196 of the 219 parliamentary seats.

Among Abdullah's biggest electoral challenges are inflation, rising crime and tensions in the multiracial society sparked by frustrations among minority ethnic Indians, who feel they are not getting a fair share of the national wealth.

Separately yesterday, Othman Ali, a federal police official responsible for security, said police have "put in place all the necessary preparations and we are ready" for elections, the national news agency Bernama reported.

"We expect a smooth election," Bernama quoted Othman as telling reporters in eastern Malaysia. "I don't expect any rioting or disturbances in the coming election but if there are, we are prepared to face them either in terms of personnel or logistics."

Officials at federal police headquarters said they could not immediately comment.
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