KUALA LUMPUR – The Election Commission (EC) is not planning a constituency re-delineation in Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah for the time being, according to its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh.
A review of electoral boundaries for these states will only be initiated after a notice is given to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker and to the prime minister, he said in a statement today.
“There are no plans to carry out a review of the demarcation of boundaries in the Malay states and in Sabah, as the period (before redelineation) is still in effect.
“For Sarawak (however), EC is studying the appropriateness of carrying out a review,” Ghani said.
His statement follows news reports citing sources in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government claiming the state has submitted an official paper to Putrajaya asking for more parliamentary seats.
Sarawak is due for a re-delineation exercise, which is held every eight years as provided for in the federal constitution, as the last redrawing of its electoral boundaries was held in 2015.
Ghani however, said the Malay states in the peninsula, and Sabah, last had their re-delineation exercises in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Therefore, states in the peninsula are only due for another exercise in 2026, and for Sabah in 2025. – January 1, 2024