GE14 | Election Commission chairperson Mohd Hashim Abdullah refused to field questions from journalists after announcing the polling date for the 14th general election at a press conference in Putrajaya this afternoon.

After the announcement, he handed appointment letters to several officers in front of cameras and walked off.

Despite repeated shouts of "Tan Sri! Tan Sri!" to get his attention, Hashim exited the venue.

One of the questions which Malaysiakini had intended to pose was regarding EC's decision to fix the polling date on a work day, Wednesday (May 9).

Historically, voting on weekdays has occurred only four times - 1959, 1982, 1999 and 1995.

Meanwhile, Hashim also announced that the EC was recruiting international and domestic election observers, albeit with scant details.

He said election observers, would be able to observe the nomination, which falls on April 28, and early voting processes, along with the voting centres and tallying centres.

He did not mention if their findings would be made public.

Hashim announced that the little-known Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre (MCSC) would monitor the election. The organisation, ostensibly based in Cambridge, UK does not appear to have a website.

He also announced that observers from Indonesia, Thailand, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Azerbaijan, Cambodia and Kyrgyzstan have accepted invitations to observe the election.

Invitations were also sent to observers from Bosnia Herzegovina, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Myanmar, Australia and Kazakhstan.

Of the countries mentioned by the EC, only India, Australia, New Zealand and Timor-Leste are considered "free" democracies by the latest Freedom House report.

Freedom House considered Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan to be "consolidated authoritarian regimes."