Wednesday May 8, 2013

GE13: 14 days to remove polls material

Volunteers taking down election posters in Kuala Lumpur after the general election.

PETALING JAYA: The 13th general election is over and it is now time for political parties to grab their ladders and brooms to remove the flags, banners and posters.

Candidates for parliamentary and state seats are given 14 days after polling day to clean all paraphernalia related to the elections.

They are also required to place a deposit of RM5,000 and RM3,000 for parliamentary and state seats respectively for the campaign materials and clean-up work.

The money was to be paid to the respective state elections director.

The 13th general election, which was one of the hardest fought, saw candidates for Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Rakyat and others going all out to win votes.

Flags, posters, banners and brochures were seen everywhere in the country with some places “painted” in a sea of blue, red and even green, which depicted the party colours.

According to the Election Commission, those who did not pay the deposit could be jailed for not more than one year, or be fined a maximum of RM3,000, or both.

“The deposit will be returned once all campaign materials have been cleaned up within 14 days after polling day.”

Candidates and the parties concerned are also required to clean up the campaign area and ensure no traces of their materials are found.

For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site

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