Zaid Ibrahim said this was necessary to determine which government the people want, especially in a post-Covid-19 economic recovery period.

He told FMT Covid-19 should not be used as an excuse to avoid elections because other countries like Singapore, South Korea, the US and Italy have done it before.

“Other countries had their elections even before vaccines were available and these countries today are coping very well with Covid-19, so it’s not going to cause a serious problem,” he said.

“Of course, we have to take some measures and protocols but it’s not enough to use Covid as an excuse, especially now that we have the vaccine.”

On the question of a no-confidence vote, Zaid said a vote is not the best way to move forward “as we do not know whether the present leaders in Parliament are what the people want”.

There has been lingering doubt over the razor-thin support endured by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin after several Umno MPs withdrew support for him, although more recently, two PKR MPs pledged their support for his administration.

Zaid said the authorities should start preparing for a general election, which should take at least six months.

“I hope this time the emphasis of political parties is not ‘who I’m going to work with’ but what policies they can offer to the people,” he added.