PETALING JAYA: There will be no by-elections for the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats, says Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun.
Ramlan said that, pursuant to Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul had informed the commission that there was no requirement to fill the casual vacancies.
He added that the EC had received notification from Johari through a letter dated May 20 regarding the status of the casual vacancies for the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats after they were declared vacant under Article 51 of the Federal Constitution.
“Accordingly, no by-elections for the two parliamentary constituencies will be held,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (May 20).
Earlier, Johari said the EC had been informed of vacancies in the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats.
Johari added that the resignation notices from former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and former natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad took effect on Monday (May 18).
Both Rafizi and Nik Nazmi announced their resignations from PKR on May 17, saying they would formally take over Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) and launch a new third-force political movement.
The following day, they resigned as MPs for Pandan and Setiawangsa, respectively.
The two also announced plans to contest again in Pandan and Setiawangsa under the Bersama platform in the next election.
