The Election Commission (EC) has reminded all parties to refrain from campaigning, including putting up election paraphernalia, in the wake of a vacancy for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat.

abdul aziz yusof spr by election bukit gantang selambau 120209 06 EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof ( right ) said the campaigning period would only be known once the commission announced the dates for the nomination and polling, on Friday.

"It's an offence to put up posters at this juncture. Just wait for the official announcement," he told reporters after opening the 24th annual general meeting of the Gabungan Ikhtisas dan Usahawan Bumiputera Anak Selangor in Shah Alam today.

He also called on political parties to no longer raise the phantom voters issue in the by-election as the matter was non-existent.

Phantom voters non-existant

Abdul Aziz said the issue came about as many did not understand the regulation enforced in 2002 requiring voters to register as electorates in the address stated in their identification documents even if they no longer lived there.

"When these voters returned to cast their votes, they were accused of being the phantom voters," he said.

Asked on the possibility of the commission becoming the "punching bag" for political parties in the by-election, Abdul Aziz said they should understand that the EC was an apolitical organisation.

pkr mp hulu selangor zainal abidin ahmad Abdul Aziz also said that in the Hulu Selangor by-election the EC would use the electoral roll certified in December last year which had 65,058 voters.

The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent member of parliament Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad ( left ) of PKR on Thursday due to brain cancer.

In the 2008 general election, Dr Zainal defeated MIC deputy president G Palanivel with a 198-vote majority.

- Bernama