State polls to cost RM420mil

THE elections that are going to be held in six states are expected to cost RM420mil, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan are set to go to the polls after the dissolution of their state assemblies.

During campaigning, “all parties are urged to comply with the laws under the Election Offences Act 1954 and other laws related to elections”, the Minister in charge of Law and Institutional Reforms said in a written parliamentary reply dated June 14.

She said every time elections were held, the Election Commission (EC) would remind all parties to report any offences to enforcement agencies such as the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

She was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian) on the cost of the six state polls.

He had also asked if Putrajaya would ensure that government facilities were not misused by the ruling party for the state polls.

Meanwhile, Azalina said the EC had been updating the voters’ registry from time to time.

“This includes cancelling the names of voters who have died, renounced or were stripped of their citizenship,” she said.

She said the EC had also made preparations in terms of its budget, equipment, logistics, development of systems, manpower and training of personnel.

Meanwhile, the new voting stations will also be set up, especially in districts with a high number of voters.

She said this in response to a question by Datuk Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) on how the government will ensure that the polls run smoothly, the financial implications, and the strategy that will be employed to ensure a high voter turnout.

The Selangor state assembly will automatically dissolve on June 25, followed by Kelantan on June 28.

However, the Terengganu assembly will automatically dissolve on July 1, Negri Sembilan on July 2, Kedah on July 4 and Penang on Aug 2.

The six states did not dissolve their assemblies when the 15th General Election (GE15) was held last November.

GE15 resulted in a stalemate, which saw the formation of the current unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.