Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said key national registration agencies would be required to sort out the electoral role to weed out 'fraudulent' cases of voter transfers by opposition parties.

According to a Bernama report, Abdullah said the Barisan Nasional will submit details on 2.8 million voters to the Election Commission (EC) for action before the next general elections.

In addition, he said the National Registration Department would also be roped in to check the electoral role to ensure that the voters are genuinely eligible to vote in their respective constituencies.

"We (BN) cannot (on our own) make rectifications to this as it is a very important issue. We hope the EC will assist in cleaning up the roll," he reportedly said.

'Inside help'

Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad such transfers had been widely practised by opposition parties over the last 30 years in certain states including Kedah.

"If the parties had lost marginally in a place, they will move voters there so that they have a better chance of winning the next time," he reportedly said.

Leaders of opposition parties PAS, Keadilan and DAP were unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, Mahathir also lashed out at opposition parties for allegedly getting "inside help" to transfer voters in a bid to win in marginal constituencies.

Mahathir had said that the 'fraud' cases generally involved the registration of voters in constituencies where they have no connection, either by birth or residence.

Using himself as an example, the premier said voters are allowed to register in areas other than where they are residing as long as they have a prior link to the area.

Mahathir is registered to vote in his birthplace at Titi Gajah, Kedah, although he currently resides in Putrajaya.