The Election Offences (Amendment) Bill 2002 is expected to be a hotly-debated issue when Parliament convenes on Monday for the fourth term this year.

This is largely due to the ongoing controversy over allegations of phantom voters, or in the words of the Election Commission(EC), 'imported voters', in the recently-concluded Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections.

The EC, Umno and opposition parties have been exchanging political insults and accusing each other over the last few weeks of tainting the electoral roll for the July 18 by-elections. The DAP has also been raising the phantom voter issue for decades but the matter has yet to be resolved.

The Election Bill is up for second reading, together with the Law Academy Bill 2002 and the Land (Group Settlement Areas) (Amendment) Bill 2002.