POLITICAL PROCESS IN

MALAYSIA: ELECTION

TYPES OF ELECTION

There are two types of elections, namely:

1. General elections
2. By-elections
1. General Elections

held within 60 days (Peninsular Malaysia) and 90

days (Sabah & Sarawak) after the dissolution of
the Parliament or a State Legislative Assembly
not exceeding a period of 5 years from the
previous election

TYPES OF ELECTION
2. By-elections
held whenever there is a casual vacancy in the
House of Representatives or a State Legislative
Assembly arising from:
i) the death of an elected representative;
ii) the resignation of an elected representative;
iii) the loss of eligibility of the elected
representative;
iv) the annulment of the decision of the election
by an
Election Court.

TYPES OF VOTING

There are two types of voting in Malaysia and

they are as follows:
(a) Normal voting where the normal voters will
vote on the day declared as polling day the
EC; and
(b) Postal voting where absent voters are
allowed to vote
earlier via post.

Electors who are allowed to caste their

vote by post (i) Election workers;
(ii) Members of the Royal Malaysia, Army
& Police
Force and their spouses
(iii)Members and officers of the EC;
(iv)
students studying overseas and
their spouses
(v) civil servants serving overseas and
their spouses

Election Commission (EC)

Established on 4 September 1957 under

Article 114 of the Federal Constitution.

Members
Chairperson + a deputy + other members
Appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The members can hold the post until the
age of 65

Election Commission (EC)

Vision
- To be an excellent democratic institution
that
enjoys public confidence on Elections
in Malaysia

Mission
- To uphold the System of Parliamentary
Democracy and protect the right of the people
to elect their
representatives by managing,
conducting and supervising elections in a fair
and free manner

Election Commission (EC)

Primary responsibilities:
1) to gazette election
boundaries/constituuencies
2) to register and prepare election list
3) to organize general and by-elections
4) to draw up election rules and regulations
5) to manage registration and nomination of
candidates
6) to count votes
7) to declare election results

ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Multiparty Electoral System:

- the party having the majority of seats in
the House
of Representatives and the
State Legislative
Assemblies can form
the Federal Government and
the State
Governments respectively.

First-Past-The-Post System
- the candidate with the majority of votes,
even if it is
one, will be declared the
winning candidate in the
constituency
concerned.

ELECTORAL
COMPONENTS
The important elements in an election are:i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

Electoral constituencies;
Electors;
Candidates;
Electoral process

ELECTORAL
COMPONENTS
ii) Electors / Voters
Requirements:
- Age 21 years and above
- Registered voter
- Vote for representatives for federal or state
level
Disqualified to Vote If:
- Having unsound mind
- Carry out jail sentence
- Found guilty and is imposed the death
sentence
- In jail exceeding 12 months in any
commonwealth countries

ELECTORAL
COMPONENTS
iii) Candidates
can represent a party or stand as an independent
candidate.

Requirements:
i) A Malaysian Citizen;
ii) Not less than 21 years of age on Nomination
Day;
iii) A resident of the State if one is contesting a
seat in
that State or be a resident anywhere in
Malaysia if
one is contesting a Parliamentary
seat; and
iv)Has not lost ones eligibility.

ELECTORAL COMPONENTS
iii) Candidates

A person would have lost his eligibility to be a

candidate if one:
i) Is found to be or declared to be of unsound
mind; or
ii) Is a declared bankrupt; or
iii)Is found to be holding an office of profit; or
v)
Has been found guilty by a court in
Malaysia and imposed a jail term of not less than
1 year or a fine of
not less than RM 2000 and
has not been pardoned yet;
or
vi)
Has acquired foreign citizenship.

ELECTION DEPOSITS

Candidates wishing to participate in an

election are required to pay election deposits
and the quantum is as follows:

1. Parliamentary seat RM 10,000.00

2. State Legislative Assembly seat RM 5,
000.00

Candidates will lose their deposits if they fail

to garner at least 1/8th of the total number of
votes received by all the candidates
contesting in the election in that constituency.

ELECTORAL PROCESS

ELECTORAL PROCESS