EC chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the election would involve 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats in 12 states except Malaysia’s eastern state of Sarawak, which held its state election in 2006.

He added that 10,922,139 were eligible to cast their votes based on the electoral roll gazetted on February 5.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on February 13 announced the dissolution of Parliament to pave the way for the 12^th general election.

Some 60,000 police personnel will be deployed nationwide to maintain peace and order in the election.

In another development, Malaysia will host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Businesswomen Leaders Forum 2008 at the end of this month to highlight and celebrate the achievements of businesswomen in the region.

The forum, themed “Leading with lasting impact”, will bring together corporate leaders, representatives of the public sector, local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and professionals to critically discuss key issues facing the corporate woman and debate solutions going forward.

The forum will also serve as a platform to share and learn from initiatives, efforts and insights by women in various industries, according to news agencies.