Published: Wednesday February 25, 2009 MYT 3:31:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday February 25, 2009 MYT 4:57:21 PM
EC to meet on Mar 4 to decide Batang Ai by-election date
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS
PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission will decide convene a special meeting on March 4 to determine the nomination and polling dates for the Batang Ai by-election.
The meeting, to be presided by EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof will take place in Kuching, Sarawak, as the state seat is now vacant following the death of its assemblyman Datuk Dublin Unting.
Unting, 56, a Parti Rakyat Sarawak vice-president and Sarawak assistant sports minister, died on Tuesday after nine months in coma.
In May last year, he suffered a stroke while giving a radio interview at the RTM Sarawak complex on the state contingent’s preparation for the Malaysia Games held in Terengganu last year.
EC public relations officer Sabri Said in a statement said the chairman would make the necessary announcements on the dates of the writ, notice, nomination and polling after the meeting.
Under the state constitution, the current assembly’s term would end in July 2011. The Sarawak state election was last held on May 20, 2006.
Two other by-elections will be held simultaneously on April 7 - one for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat and another for Bukit Selambau state seat.
The Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak fell vacant following the death of its MP Roslan Shahrun from PAS on Feb 9 while the Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah is now empty when its PKR assemblyman V. Arumugam resigned on Feb 8.
So far, two by-elections have been held after the March 8 general election last year.
The first was in Permatang Pauh, Penang, on Aug 26 when its MP Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail resigned to make way for her husband and PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest, in which he won.
On Jan 17 this year, a by-election was held for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat following the demise of its MP Datuk Razali Ismail. PAS’ Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut won against Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh
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