The Election Commission announced that Malaysia will hold its 15th General Elections (GE15) on 19 November 2022.  According to sources, more than 20 million Malaysians are expected to vote for a new government, following more than two years of political flux that has led to a snap election.

GE15 will be the first time that the electorate group aged between 18 to 21, also known as ‘Undi 18’, will be eligible to cast their ballots in a general election in Malaysia.  Hence the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education have announced that all students in pre-university and tertiary institutions will be given 5 days of leave beginning 17 November 2022.  

To facilitate voters’ travel needs, local domestic flight operators have added more flights to selected locations within Peninsular Malaysia for GE15, starting from November 2022.

British Council Comments

While the wider implications of the outcome of GE15 on national policies remain to be seen, we do not anticipate many changes in the higher education sector priorities as outlined in the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint (2013-2025), as this framework has already withstood two changes in government since 2018.
In terms of international travel during the election period (between 17 to 20 November 2022), we anticipate Malaysian airports to be busier than usual and strongly recommend re-checking flight itineraries closer to travel dates to ensure a smooth and hassle-free arrival in Malaysia.
 

Sources:

• https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malaysia-general-election-be-held-nov-19-election-commission-2022-10-20/
• https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/10/844808/first-time-voters-want-clean-capable-govt
• https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/education-ministry-declares-nov-17-21-school-holidays-undi18-voters
• https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/10/27/cheaper-airfares-during-ge15-period-more-flights-added-says-mavcom/

Further reading:

• https://www.um.edu.my/docs/um-magazine/4-executive-summary-pppm-2015-2025.pdf