Voter registration continues as EC prepares for snap polls
The Election Commission (EC) has begun to prepare for the 13th general elections as parliament enters its fourth year of the Barisan Nasional (BN) mandate from Election 2008.
But EC deputy chairman Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said voter registration will still continue all year round with electoral rolls being gazetted every three months, dismissing speculation the commission will stop signing up voters this month.
“Usually, when we enter the fourth year after the previous general election, preparations will be made ... we make early preparations in Year 4 and use that as a sign,” Wan Ahmad told The Malaysian Insider.
He also pointed out that the three-year period for by-elections to be held under the Elections Act had passed and the EC could now prepare for the general election.
“We have done all sorts of preparations ... early preparation like logistics, determining polling centres, printing guidelines, all kinds of preparation,” said Wan Ahmad.
“Other forms of preparation like the training of workers and election officers will be done about one or two months before (the election),” he added.
The last general election, the 12th since independence in 1957, was held in March 2008 or at the end of the fourth year of that term by then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
He was succeeded in April 2009 by Datuk Seri Najib Razak, whose coalition mandate ends in April 2013. State elections must also be held between the end of April and May 2013.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim predicted recently that Najib will call general elections before August this year.
Political analysts, however, are speculating that the prime minister is likely to delay snap polls until the end of this year or early 2012 as he and his cabinet tour the country to assess conditions on the ground and also work on getting more support in states held by Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact.
The Najib administration recently embarked on its latest round of subsidy cuts on essential goods like electricity, a move that could rouse voter unhappiness. But the prime minister has also initiated various projects under his New Economic Model (NEM) with a view to making Malaysia a high-income nation by 2020.
By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider
711 likely ba!
ReplyDeleteEveryone is free of speculating when will the general election going to be held...but the decision is still going to be decide by Najib.
ReplyDeleteOne thing for sure is, it will going to be held on time which is the best to serve the interest of the ruling government...So BN have some advantage here...
memang bagus kalau persiapan dibuat lebih awal walaupun mungkin PRU-13 akan diadakan pada tahun hadapan.
ReplyDeleteBanyak betul spekulasi. Tunggu saja Najib buat pengumuman. Sementara itu, parti2 lain bolehlah menggerakkan jentera mereka untuk berkempen selagi masa masih ada.
ReplyDeleteTidak sabar betul tunggu pengumuman dari Najib sampai andaian pun makin berbunga-bunga. hehe
ReplyDeleteTak kisahlah, bila p/raya yang penting semua pihak harus bersedia.
ReplyDeleteNo need to make any speculation. Just get ready for it.
ReplyDeleteBetter to wait till Najib announce the date. People, evaluate each party wisely.
ReplyDeleteThe people better start thinking about who they're going to vote now.
ReplyDeletetidak tahu lagi bila PRU akan diadakan. tapi persediaan awal memang perlu dilakukan.
ReplyDeleteawal atau lambat, kalau malas turun padang, tetap kalah juga tu..
ReplyDeletesemua parti kini pasti telah membuat persediaan untuk PRU. pada PRu nnti kta akan tau parti mana yang menjadi pilihan rakyat.
ReplyDeleteBersedialah sekarang.
ReplyDelete