Election Commission chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh
PETALING JAYA: The Batu Sapi by-election will not be held on Dec 5 and a new date will be set following the Prime Minister's announcement that the King has agreed to declare a state of emergency there, says the Election Commission (EC).
“Following the declaration, any proceedings that have started in preparation for the Batu Sapi by-election will not continue and a new date will be set, ” its chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh (pic) said in a statement on Wednesday (Nov 18).
Earlier, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had agreed to declare a state of emergency in Batu Sapi after a meeting with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Muhyiddin had presented his advice to the King following a decision made at a Cabinet meeting.
During a live telecast address, Muhyiddin said the state of emergency was only to cancel and postpone the by-election in order to protect the lives of the people.
He added that the lives of the people in Batu Sapi will not be affected by the Emergency.
The Batu Sapi parliamentary seat was declared vacant following the death of its MP Datuk Liew Vui Keong of Parti Warisan Sabah on Oct 2.
He is believed to have died due to a lung infection.
The EC then declared Nov 23 as nomination day, set Dec 1 for early polls and Dec 5 for the by-election.
According to the EC, there are 32,962 voters in Batu Sapi, 3,170 of whom live outside the constituency, including in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
