KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) has extended the voting time for the 15th General Election (GE15) by one hour.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the voting time for Peninsular Malaysia will be from 8 am to 6 pm, and 7.30 am to 5.30 pm for Sabah and Sarawak.

"The extension of the period will give voters enough time to cast their ballots," he said in a written answer posted on the Parliament website today.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Pejuang-Jerlun) on the improvement measures taken by the EC to ensure a higher turnout and transparency in the voting process in GE15 and beyond.

According to Wan Junaidi, the EC has also increased the number of voting centres and channels in anticipation of a larger turnout, following the implementation of Undi18 (lowering of voting age to 18) as well as automatic voter registration.

He said the improvement measures were to ensure that the elections were conducted in a more efficient, fair and transparent manner.

-- BERNAMA