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How do elections work in Malaysia? (Part 1)
On March 8, Malaysia goes to the polls, 15 months before the current government’s five-year mandate ends. Even though the last general election was held in 2004 and the law stipulates that elections for Parliamentary and state assembly seats be held once in five years, elections can also be held earlier. Indeed, this has been…
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How do elections work in Malaysia? (Part 2)
Election period The general election or by-election begins when the Election Commission issues an election writ to the Returning Officer. A notice will be gazetted stipulating the dates for nomination and polling. The general election is held within 60 days from the date that Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly are dissolved. By-elections also have…
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How do elections work in Malaysia? (Part 3)
Polling day Officially, this day starts after March 7 midnight this year and ends with the announcement of the results. However, polling time is fixed from 8am to 5.30pm for Peninsular Malaysia and 7.30am to 5pm for Sabah and Sarawak. For remote areas, mobile teams are utilised to facilitate polling and the polling times…
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How do elections work in Malaysia? (Part 4)
Counting the votes Vote counting is carried out by the Presiding Officer at the polling station or at a specified central counting place. Postal votes for each constituency are counted by the Returning Officer at the specified place. During the counting, only authorised persons are allowed to be present. They are: i) Election Commission…
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If you register today, can you vote?
A reader wrote to us: “If a Malaysian registers to vote today, can he/she participate in the upcoming elections? I have looked at the election commission’s website and searched Google but have not got an answer yet. What I do know is that we can register to vote at any time/any day at the post…