No necessity for Melor by-election - EC

KOTA BHARU: The Election Commission announced today that there is no necessity for a by-election to fill the vacant Melor state seat in Kelantan as there are less than two years before the end of the state assembly term.

The seat fell vacant when its incumbent Dr Md Yusnan Yusof, from PAS, died on April 30.

EC secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak said under Article 46(5) of the state constitution, a vacancy in the Kelantan Legislative Assemby must be filled within 60 days of the vacancy.

He said that at if a contingency vacancy was confirmed on a date within two years from the date the State Assembly would be dissolved, then there was no need to fill the vacancy unless the Speaker in writing informed the EC otherwise.

""n this regard, the Speaker of the Kelantan State Assembly, Datuk Abdullah Ya'kub has informed the EC that there is no need to fill the unexpected vacancy," he said in a statement.

EC- MELOR 2 (LAST) KOTA BHARU

Ikmalrudin also informed that based on the Emergency Proclamation 2021, that was effective from Jan 11, January 2021 to Aug 1, 2021 and Section 13 of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 (PU (A) 12), the provisions of the Constitution of any state relating to elections for state seats have no effect during an emergency period.

Md Yusnan, 53, died at his home in Melor, Kelantan, due to a heart attack.

He was a two-term assembly man for the seat after winning it in the 13th General Election (Ge13).

GE14 was held in May 2018

-- BERNAMA