PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is of the view that the best time to hold the 15th general election (GE15) would be in July next year.

       Dr Mahathir, who is Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) chairman, said this was because it was also the period when the 14th parliamentary term ends.

       "Follow the election schedule (and) that would be the best date,” he told a media conference after witnessing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pejuang Muda and the Silver Gold Collector Group here on Thursday (July 16).

       GE15 must be held no later than mid-September 2023, which is within 60 days after the current parliamentary term is automatically dissolved on July 16, 2023.

       Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today reiterated his stand that now was not the right time for GE15 to be held, saying that engaging in extensive discussion on the matter will affect the country’s political stability. - Bernama