Malaysia can go to the polls as early as September, the election commission said Friday, hinting for the first time that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi may call a snap election this year.

"If the government asks when the election commission can be fully ready, the answer from me will be end September," Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, commission chairman, was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama .

Abdul Rashid said the body required time to hold a training exercise for its 200,000 workers throughout the country.

The previous general election was held on March 21, 2004 and the next must be held within five years of that date.

Early polls?

The opposition has been busy preparing for an early election, which some members have said could come as early as October.

There is speculation Abdullah may call for early polls to prevent former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim from taking part.

Anwar was a celebrated deputy premier and heir-apparent to former leader dr Mahathir Mohamad until 1998, when he was sacked after sodomy and corruption charges that landed him in jail for six years.

Anwar's sodomy conviction has been overturned but the corruption conviction still stands, barring him from standing for public office until April 2008.

Anwar is currently adviser to Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or the People's Justice Party, which is formally run by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.