Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) said Malaysians, especially young voters, are not keen on frequent elections.

“They believe democracy must be balanced with stability,” she told FMT.

She also said the public is well aware that holding elections too frequently would only slow down the nation’s progress.

“What’s the point of voting every year if nothing meaningful gets done for the country? Only politicians are interested in snap polls, not the people,” she said.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin last Saturday urged party members to prepare for a nationwide election “by the end of this year”, implying that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government may not last its full term, which only expires in late 2027.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the rakyat is more interested in having their economic concerns addressed than political manoeuvrings.

“People don’t necessarily want a change of government like Bersatu does, but they do want to see both sides (government and opposition) deliver, especially in addressing the high cost of living,” he said.

He warned that if the opposition becomes too fixated on snap elections, it risks neglecting its primary role as a check-and-balance in Parliament.

Lau Zhe Wei, another analyst from IIUM, said there are no strong voices or movements calling for a change in government.

Anwar’s govt expected to hold until 2027

Syaza said there was no reason why the current administration would not last to the end of its tenure, given it has the support of Barisan Nasional (BN) and political parties from Sabah and Sarawak.

“Based on the signals from BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi so far, they are staying put.

“So how can a snap election happen? Who is going to betray Anwar? Does the opposition have the numbers? Do they have more than 40 MPs willing to cross over for a no-confidence vote against Anwar?

“I doubt it,” she said.

With the support of 153 of the 222 MPs, Anwar currently has a strong backing of more than two-thirds in the Dewan Rakyat, significantly more than the simple majority of 112 required to form the government.

Syaza said that unless something “major” disrupts the relationship between Anwar and Zahid, an early election is unlikely.

Azmi also believes Anwar’s government will last until the end of its term, or until the prime minister deems it the right time to dissolve Parliament.

Meanwhile, Lau dismissed any immediate threats to Anwar’s parliamentary majority.

“Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are stable enough. Even if there were moves to topple the government through a no-confidence vote, the numbers don’t add up,” he said.

Lau pointed out that since the 2022 general election, PH has remained united, Umno has not broken away, and both Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) have stayed with the government.

“The opposition has not provided any concrete evidence that they have more support than Anwar. At this point, the government is set to last its full term because it has the numbers,” he said.