Nearly RM730mil spent for GE15, Dewan Rakyat told

KUALA LUMPUR: RM725mil was spent in organising the 15th General Election (GE15) last year, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said

“The estimated cost of holding GE15 was RM1bil. But, up till January this year, the Election Commission spent RM725mil for GE15,” said Azalina in a parliamentary reply dated March 1.

Azalina said a report on the 14th General Election was published by the EC in Sept last year.

“The EC is currently in the process of completing reports for the 16th Sabah state election, the 15th Melaka state election, the 12th Sarawak state election and the 15th Johor state election before it’s published,” said Azalina.

In GE15 last November, which had a 14-day campaigning period, a total of 945 candidates contested 222 parliamentary seats.

There were 441 candidates going after 117 state seats in three states - Pahang, Perak and Perlis.

Six states - Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah, did not dissolve their state assemblies concurrently as GE15

Compared to the 14th general election in 2018, there were 687 candidates going after 222 parliament seats and 1,646 for 505 state seats.