“May 31st Polling Day”

Cindy received an sms,”Nomination day 23rd and Polling 31st May-Penanti State Seat. This was also confirmed by Malaysiakini breaking news:-

The by-election for the Penanti state seat in Penang will be held on May 31.

MCPX

The Election Commission, announcing the date this morning, has fixed May 23 for nominations.

EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof also dismissed claims by various quarters that the commission had delayed the announcement for political reasons.

Detractors have claimed that although the seat became vacant on April 16, the EC had waited for the Umno supreme council meeting to be convened last Friday before announcing the date for the polling.

“There is no delay at all. We postponed the announcement to make sure the arrangement of the returning officers and their assistance officers.

“Last Thursday we had to meet the political parties (on another matter). The delay has nothing to do with the supreme council meeting. I didn’t even know when it was held,” he said at a press conference held at the EC headquarters in Putrajaya.

“It is not related at all, it is not relevant. We have to announce the date within 10 days as provided by the law.

“Unless we announce it by the 12th day or so forth, then that’s a delay, it has nothing to do with Umno supreme council at all,” he stressed.

The seat was vacated by PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, in the wake of corruption allegations linked to quarrying operations.

However, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has since cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Will there be a contest?

PKR is expected to announce a candidate, but Barisan Nasional has yet to decide on contesting the by-election.

This will be the sixth by-election since the 12th general election last year, which saw the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance take control of Penang and four other states.

However, Perak has since fallen to the BN, with three representatives leaving the coalition – two from PKR and one from DAP.

Immediately after the seat became vacant, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had said that it was possible for the coalition to sit out for this by-election, pending the approval of all coalition partners.

Umno, which had previously contested in this seat, was expected to discuss if it should be contesting at the party’s supreme council meeting last Friday.

However the matter has now been passed to the party’s political bureau for a decision. The bureau is headed by Najib.

Umno division leaders in Penanti have called for the party to contest in the seat which falls within the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.