The Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) confirmed that no by-elections will be held for the vacant parliamentary seats of Pandan and Setiawangsa, citing Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution as the reason.
In a statement, EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said the commission had received notification from Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul regarding the vacancies for the Pandan and Setiawangsa seats after they were declared vacant under Article 51 of the Federal Constitution.
Johari, through a letter dated May 20, informed the EC that there was no necessity to fill the two vacancies in line with the constitutional provision.
Under Article 54(1), a by-election is not required if a parliamentary vacancy occurs within two years before the dissolution of Parliament.
The provision is intended to avoid unnecessary elections when the parliamentary term is nearing its end.
“Accordingly, no by-elections for both parliamentary constituencies will be held,” the statement said.
The EC, however, did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the seats being declared vacant under Article 51 of the Federal Constitution.
