The Election Commission has set July 11 as the polling date for the upcoming Johor state election, with Negeri Sembilan to follow on Aug 1.
For Johor, EC chairperson Ramlan Harun announced June 27 as the nomination date and July 7 for early voting.
He told a press conference in Putrajaya today that, as for postal voters, it would involve three categories - 1A, 1B, and 1C.
Category 1A postal voters for Johor - including those on duty to monitor the election - must submit their postal ballot registration by June 24, while Malaysians living abroad, as well as agency and organisation members (Categories 1B and 1C, respectively) need to submit theirs by June 19.
As for Negeri Sembilan, Ramlan said nomination day is on July 18, and early voters will go to the polls on July 28.
Negeri Sembilan postal voters may register themselves starting from today, he added.
EC officials, police, army officers, and media workers (Category 1A) must submit their postal ballot registrations by July 15.
The other two categories of voters must be registered by July 10.
Why no simultaneous polls?
Asked why both elections are not conducted simultaneously, Ramlan cited logistical considerations, training of election personnel, and the level of operational preparedness as the main reasons.
Bernama reported him saying that the machinery in Negeri Sembilan requires a longer preparation period after the unexpected dissolution of the state legislative assembly.
“In Negeri Sembilan, the dissolution came unexpectedly, and the situation was not one of readiness. We need time for them to be fully focused.
“We will complete the Johor state election first, and then deploy all the teams (from Johor) to assist in Negeri Sembilan.
“If the elections are held simultaneously, there simply would not be enough time for preparations,” he was quoted as saying.
On claims that the dissolution of the Negeri Sembilan state legislative assembly was invalid, Ramlan said the matter is outside the EC’s jurisdiction.
He reportedly stated that the EC sought the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ views on the matter, but no problems or legal issues have been raised yet.
Over RM160m allocated
The EC has allocated a total of RM167.4 million for both state polls, with RM86.8 million for Johor and RM80.6 million for Negeri Sembilan.
According to EC’s latest data, he said the polls will involve 2,727,926 voters registered in Johor and 889,490 in Negeri Sembilan.
Ramlan added that 42,971 election staffers will be mobilised to manage the polls in Johor, with 15,344 officials handling the election in Negeri Sembilan.
He said the EC will continue to broadcast election processes live via streaming for selected polling centres/polling streams on the EC’s Facebook page, as was carried out during previous elections.
"To encourage voters to come out and fulfil their civic responsibility on polling day, the EC will implement the Jom Kita Undi (let's vote) campaign through various media channels.
"This includes electronic media, social media, public announcements via loudspeaker broadcasts, and the installation of banners at strategic locations frequented by the public and at other suitable places," Ramlan added. - - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.