GEORGE TOWN: Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president Datuk Huan Cheng Guan is calling on the Election Commission (EC) to review its standard operating procedure (SOP) and set a specific period for candidates to present their petition.
Huan who stood for the Bukit Gelugor Parliamentary by-election in May proposed that the EC fixed three weeks or one month after the election for candidates to file their petition without the need to wait for the results to be gazetted.
“After the general election or by-election, we do not need to wait for the results to be gazetted. Make it compulsory for a set period for candidates to file their petition,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Huan said he was shocked when EC took only two days to gazette the results of the Bukit Gelugor by-election after polling day on May 25, and claimed he was not informed of the matter.
Following that, he could not file his petition as the 21-day period to do so had expired.
On May 27, Huan said he would be filing a petition on the results of the by-election on allegations of misconduct by DAP on polling day.
Meanwhile, state acting EC director Azizal Ahmad when contacted confirmed that the results of the Bukit Gelugor Parliamentary by-election were gazetted on May 28, and that the EC sent letters to all candidates on June 3.
“We have already informed all contesting candidates to present their election expenditure statement in 31 days to enable them to contest in future elections as well as to present their petition within the 21 days,” he said.
Asked if the results of the election should be gazetted in a month, Azizal said according to the law, the EC will gazette election results after the results had been announced and it was up to the commission. — Bernama