The Kedah Election Commission (EC) has sent a letter to EC headquarters in Putrajaya, reporting on the status of Umno's Kota Siputeh state assemblyperson Abu Hassan Sarif.

Kedah EC director Zainal Abidin Zakaria said Kedah state assembly speaker Dr Abdul Isa Ismail had written to him, making the claim that Abu Hassan had lost his seat. The letter arrived two days ago.

He said Isa reported that Abu Hassan has lost his seat as he failed to attend state assembly sittings on April 19 and Aug 9.

azlan "This matter will be handled by our headquarters. The EC legal division will study it," he told Bernama today.

Abu Hassan, the Jerlun Umno division chief, is a four-term state assemblyperson for Kota Siputeh.

Zainal Abidin said he is still waiting for a directive from the EC headquarters.

Isa said under Section 51 of the state constitution, assemblypersons who fail to attend assembly sittings twice in a row would automatically lose their membership and would have to vacate their seats.

He is scheduled to hold a press conference on the Kota Siputeh seat tomorrow.

This is a season of by-elections, with the nation facing its eighth by-election in Permatang Pasir, Penang next week since the March 2008 general election.

-Bernama