KUCHING: The coming Sarawak state election can proceed with the existing 82 constituencies if the Election Commission's (EC) redelineation exercise to add 17 new seats cannot be completed in time, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
The Sarawak Premier said it was not an issue whether the state polls were contested with 82 or 99 seats.
"We don't necessarily have to use 99 seats if there is not enough time. The window is very tight; what can you do?
"We just follow the present (number), no problem," he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of Regency Specialist Hospital here on Monday (Aug 10).
However, he declined to say when the state election would likely be held.
"When is the election? I don't know," he quipped.
Abang Johari was commenting on the federal government's intention to increase the number of parliamentary seats in Sarawak, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim calling for the process to be expedited.
The Cabinet reportedly discussed the matter at its latest meeting last week and Anwar had requested the EC to prepare an updated report for implementation.
Sarawak's state election is due by April 15 next year, 60 days after the state legislative assembly's current term ends.
It was previously reported that the EC had commenced its redelineation exercise proposing 17 new state seats in Sarawak.
An EC letter seeking space from local authorities to display its proposed redelineation, which includes a list of the 17 new seats and 10 renamed constituencies, was leaked earlier this month.
This prompted several Sarawak leaders to call for the exercise to be completed in time for the state polls.
Gabungan Parti Sarawak secretary-general Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi had said the inclusion of the 17 new seats would bring the total to 99, serving as a basis for a future increase in parliamentary seats.
