The Star Online: Nation
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- GE13: EC will allow sufficient period for campaigning, says chairman
- GE13: Trouble in Raub DAP
- GE13: It's on!
| GE13: EC will allow sufficient period for campaigning, says chairman Posted: 03 Apr 2013 09:59 AM PDT PETALING JAYA: The 13th general election must be held at the latest by May 28 following the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday, said Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof. He said the date should take into consideration the automatic dissolution of the Negri Sembilan state assembly on March 28. "If we were to start counting from April 3 today (Wednesday), it (60-day period) will end on June 3 but it will miss the Negri Sembilan deadline of May 28," he said. He was speaking on a TV3 programme, Soal Jawab, late Wednesday. Asked on the possible dates for the nomination day and polling day, Abdul Aziz said: "There are some possible dates but it is not appropriate for me to mention them here as I need to discuss with the other (EC) panels". He also said the EC will allow sufficient time for campaigning in the upcoming polls. He said the minimum campaigning period permitted by law had been increased from seven to 11 days, while the maximum period can be decided by the EC. "If we allow it to be longer, it will be more expensive in terms of operational cost. "We have discussed that the campaign period will not be too long or too short. The period will be a win-win situation for all parties," he said during an interview on TV3 Wednesday. "I received complaints from many politicians that some of them do not get enough sleep during the campaigning period. We hope that certain parties will not accuse us of not giving enough time to campaign," he said. He also urged Malaysians not to resort to political violence as it would jeopardise the security and stability of the country. "I urged all political leaders to remind their supporters not to become emotional. "We want all candidates to contest in a healthy environment and will do our best to assist all parties to achieved this," he said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razal called for the country's 13th general election after the King consented to the dissolution of Parliament. As at 11.45pm, the state assemblies of Malacca, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah and Terengganu had been dissolved. The Johor, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor state assemblies are expected to announce their dissolution on Thursday. Sarawak will not be holding state polls as the previous elections were held in April 2011. The Negri Sembilan state legislative assembly dissolved automatically on March 28. For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site Related Stories: |
| Posted: 03 Apr 2013 09:59 AM PDT KUANTAN: Trouble is brewing in Raub DAP, with the party's division resolving to appeal against the central leadership's decision to field former Umno assemblyman Mohd Ariff Sabri for the Raub parliamentary constituency. They want party leaders to reconsider their preferred candidate, Tengku Zulpuri Raja Puji Shah, whom they claim has been active on the ground for several years. "We will submit our request through normal procedures to the party central leadership. We hope Tengku Zulpuri can stay in Raub," Raub DAP chief and Tras state assemblyman Choong Siew Oon was quoted by a news portal as saying Wednesday. An emergency division meeting held in Raub on Tuesday night was attended by 50 local leaders. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced on Monday that Mohd Ariff will be fielded in Raub while Tengku Zulpuri would contest in Mentakab, a state seat under the Temerloh parliamentary seat. The announcement was said to have caught local DAP leaders and supporters by surprise as Tengku Zulpuri had been active in the constituency. Mohd Ariff was Pulau Manis assemblyman from 2004 to 2008. For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site Related Stories: |
| Posted: 03 Apr 2013 08:54 AM PDT PUTRAJAYA: The 13th General Election is on. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak confirmed that Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah had consented to the dissolution of the 12th parliament. "I met the Agong this morning and he consented to the dissolution of Parliament," Najib said during a live televised speech after the Cabinet meeting here Wednesday. He advised all the state governments, except Negri Sembilan and Sarawak, to also dissolve their respective state legislative assemblies to allow the state elections to be held simultaneously with the general election. As at 11.45pm, the state assemblies of Malacca, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah and Terengganu had been dissolved. The Johor, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor state assemblies are expected to announce their dissolution on Thursday. Sarawak will not be holding state polls as the previous elections were held in April 2011. The Negri Sembilan state legislative assembly dissolved automatically on March 28. Sarawak held its state election on April 16, 2011, and the Barisan Nasional (BN) was returned to power after it won 55 of the 71 seats contested. Following the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat today, the Election Commission (EC) is expected to meet soon to set the dates for nomination and polling. The current mandate of the government was due to expire on April 28 this year. According to Article 55 (4) of the Federal Constitution, a general election must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of parliament. Based on the latest electoral rolls, as of December last year, 13.3 million people are eligible to go to the polls in the country. A total of 222 parliamentary seats will be contested in the coming general election, 31 of which are in Sarawak, while 505 state seats will be up for contest. At the time of dissolution, Barisan had 137 seats in the Dewan Rakyat with the rest held by the DAP (29), PKR (23), PAS (23), Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanahair (Kita) (one) and PSM (one). Eight seats were held by independent MPs. In the last general election, in 2008, Barisan failed to secure a two-third majority in the Dewan Rakyat, garnering only 140 seats while the opposition grabbed 82 seats. Besides failing to regain control of Kelantan, Barisan also lost control of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. After three elected representatives declared themselves friendly to Barisan almost a year later, the opposition Perak government fell and Barisan took back the state. The 13th general election is the first for Najib as Barisan leader, after having taken over as the prime minister from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on April 3, 2009. Meanwhile, the EC is scheduled to implement eight new elements as part of the effort to improve the running of the general election, in accordance with the recommendations in the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform presented to parliament on April 3 last year. These include the use of indelible ink to mark voters, early voting to replace postal voting for policemen and soldiers, allowing postal voting for Malaysians abroad and journalists, and setting a campaign period of not less than 10 days. After the 12th general election, 16 by-elections were held following the death or resignation of elected representatives, six of these for parliamentary seats and 10 for state seats. Eight seats were won by the BN and eight by the opposition. The parliamentary by-elections were held in Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang, Hulu Selangor, Sibu and Batu Sapi while the state by-elections were held in Bukit Selambau, Batang Ai, Manek Urai, Permatang Pasir, Penanti, Bagan Pinang, Galas, Batu Sapi, Tenang, Merlimau and Kerdau. The number of by-elections was the highest after the 1995-1999 parliamentary term that saw 17 by-elections held. Videos from the 2008 General Elections:For more election stories, please visit The Star's GE13 site |
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