S'wak EC expects polls dates to be announced this week

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Nomination and polling dates for the much awaited 11th Sarawak election is expected to be announced by the Election Commission (EC) this week.

According to Borneo Post yesterday, the state EC director Takun Sunggah when contacted on Saturday said he believes the meeting to decide the dates will be held sometime this week.

“The dates can only be known when EC commences a meeting, which I believe is to be held (this) week.

“An official statement will be issued by the EC headquarters in Putrajaya on Monday (today), which is the day the Sarawak state legislative assembly is officially dissolved,” he was reported as saying.

The state polls, which for the ruling party is headed by Chief Minister Adenan Satem for the first time since taking over from his long-reigning predecessor Abdul Taib Mahmud, has been fraught with controversy.

The state constituency delineation was declared illegal last May, but the ruling was overturned on appeal, and an application to challenge it was denied by the Federal Court.

Opposition politicians have also complained of being barred from entering the Borneo state to gear up for the elections.

As of yesterday, the ban continues with the barring of Penang exco member Abdul Malik Abul Kassim , and there are indications more leaders will continue to be denied entry.

Former Bersih co-chairpeson Ambiga Sreenevasan said the ban is against Immigration laws , which in Section 67 states that restriction on a citizen's right of entry into an East Malaysian state does not come into effect "in relation to a citizen entering [...] for the sole purpose of engaging in legitimate political activity".

The EC however said it is powerless to act on the matter, which it said is under the jurisdiction of the Sarawak government.

The elections involve 82 seats, including 11 new seats created by the redelineation.



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