Kuala Lampur, Oct. 11 -- Rumours in political circles and beyond have been rife that Malaysia's next 16th General Election (GE16) could be pushed forward even sooner than previously anticipated.

Since Umno's general assembly last month, where Ahmad Zahid Hamidi openly challenged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to either call for snap polls or kick Barisan Nasional (BN) out of the federal government, the nation's political landscape has suffered even deeper cracks.

With BN staging a roaring comeback in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections, alongside predictions that it will also sweep the upcoming Malacca state election, a number of political commentators are expecting their electoral victories at state level to be repea...