A senior researcher today said that issues surrounding race and religion would continue to be a part of Malaysia's political outlook ahead of the next 14th general elections.

Center for Strategic Engagement director Rita Sim told a forum in Kuala Lumpur that this was partly attributed to Malaysia's Bumiputera-majority demographics and the dynamics between four major Malay-based parties on both sides of the political divide.

At present, she said there are some 4.2 million unregistered voters, out of which some 65 percent are estimated to be Malays.

"Going forward to 2020, in the voting demographic, about to 56 or 57 percent are estimated to be Malay (Bumiputera) voters and the balance are non-Malays.