Chini by-election: EC amends SOP to allow campaign activities

The Election Commission (EC) has amended the standard operating procedure (SOP) to allow three campaign activities with the easing of restrictions on candidates and parties contesting in the Chini state by-election.

Its chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said the activities are ‘ceramah’ (political talks), walkabouts and door-to-door campaign.

However, he said the organisers must ensure compliance to the existing rules as well as the SOP such as practising social distancing, wearing face masks, using sanitiser, taking of body temperature and attendance record.

“For political ‘ceramah’, the EC allows not more than 250 participants at any one time and is subject to the size of the venue as well as limited to only indoor premises.

“For the walkabout and door-to-door campaigning, only three participants from the candidates or party supporters are allowed at any one time,” he said.

Azhar said this after making the final inspection on preparations at the nomination centre at National Youth Skills Training Institute (IKBN) in Pekan, here today.

The amendments to the SOP for the Chini by-election campaign activities are in line with the current decision made by the National Security Council on the relaxation of the movement control order announced on June 16.

Commenting further, Azhar said candidates are not allowed to shake hands with potential voters, adding that candidates and their representatives going door-to door in walkabout must adhere to the existing rules such as practising the one-metre social distancing and to record the list of houses they have visited.

Apart from that, he clarified that candidates are also encouraged to maximise campaigning via online and social media, while reminding candidates and parties to follow the set SOP on nomination day tomorrow.

He said nomination forms can be submitted beginning 9 am to 10 am to the returning officer, where only candidate, proposer and seconder; or any two; or any one of them are allowed to the nomination centre at the main hall of IKBN in Pekan.

Asked on the purchase of the nomination forms, Azhar said 10 sets were sold and some had even paid the deposit amounting to RM8,000 each.

The Chini seat is one of the four state constituencies under the Pekan parliamentary constituency where it will be the first by-election after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced on March 18.

The Chini by-election will be held on July 4 following the death of its incumbent Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Harun on May 6 at Kuala Lumpur Hospital of a heart attack.

In the 14th general election, Abu Bakar who represented Barisan Nasional won the Chini state seat by 4,622 votes after gaining 10,027 votes while Mohd Fadhil Noor Abdul Karim of PAS secured 5,405 votes, and Mohamad Razali Ithnain from PKR garnered only 1,065 votes.