PONTIAN, Sept 18 — Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said he is confident that the 15th general election would be held this year which has three months to go.

“We have held mass meetings in all our states, the meetings involved every division. In short there is nothing else left to do.

“So what the PM (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) said about dissolution being within a short time, clearly shows that GE15 will be held as soon as possible,” he told reporters during the Farmers’ Sports Carnival in conjunction with Malaysia Day here today.

He said this when asked to comment on Ismai Sabri’s speech yesterday which hinted that GE15 is not too far away.

Ahmad said he wanted the party machinery to respond to the call of Umno’s top leadership that the party must dominate the virtual campaign and cyber war, as a lesson learned from GE14 when it was defeated due to online allegations and slander.

Ahmad said all preparations have been completed and what’s left is to update the machinery and portfolios at the polling district centres (PDM).

“(We) are in the process of (receiving the list of candidates). We have received some and waiting for the rest.

“(Usually) when Parliament dissolves, we have about two to three weeks for everything to be finalised (list of candidates). Earliest within two weeks, latest three weeks,” he said when asked if the central leadership has received the list of candidates from all 191 divisions that will be contesting in GE15. — Bernama