Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak today announced the dissolution of the Kedah legislative assembly to enable state elections to be held.

He made the announcement at 10.35 am at the Istana Anak Bukit and said the dissolution was consented to by the Kedah Council of Regency, chaired by Tan Sri Tunku Annuar Sultan Badlishah, during an audience at the palace.

Yesterday, Azizan obtained the consent for dissolution from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, who is the Sultan of Kedah, at an audience at the Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat on April 3 and advised the pertinent state governments to also seek the dissolution of their respective legislative assemblies for the elections to be held simultaneously.

In the last general election, in 2008, the opposition pact won 21 seats and the Barisan Nasional (BN) 14 seats in the Kedah state assembly.