Permatang Pauh by-election: Anwar ineligible to vote, says EC

Former Permatang Pauh MP, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is deemed ineligible to cast his ballot for the Permatang Pauh by-election on May 7.

Anwar is currently serving a prison sentence of five years for for sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan seven years ago.

Election Commission (EC) chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the 67-year-old politician is not qualified to vote in the upcoming by-election on May 7according to Article 119(3) of the Federal Constitution.

Article 119(3) of the Federal Constitution states:

i) A person is disqualified for being an elector if on the qualifying date he is detained as a person of unsound mind or is serving a sentence of imprisonment;

ii) Before the qualifying date he has been convicted at any offense which makes him facing a death penalty or imprisonment with more than 12 months, and on the qualifying date the inmate has to undergo any punishment for that offense;

READ: Sodomy II: Anwar sentenced to five years

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had reportedly said that it was up to the EC to decide if Anwar can vote in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

"The EC may look into clauses where an inmate could be given an opportunity to vote ... but as far as I know, (an) inmate has no right to vote.

"If there is (a) clause to permit (an) inmate to vote, I'm sure that the EC will provide the ballot paper to be sent to (the) Sungai Buloh (Prison) for Anwar to vote."

However, the EC had said that it has no power to allow Anwar to cast his ballot, despite stern calls from the PKR to consummate Putrajaya's decision to grant prisoners their rights to vote.

READ : EC to decide if Anwar can vote in by-election

Earlier, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah had reportedly said, her request for Anwar to vote was coherent with Ahmad Zahid's comments made in July, 2013 where the latter had urged the ministry to review an appropriate mechanism to allow prisoners to vote.

Ahmad Zahid said that among the aspects that need to be reviewed by the EC is to grant a prisoner the rights to vote.

"I welcomed the suggestion by the Home Minister and even suggested that the Permatang Pauh by-election to be made as benchmark project by allowing Anwar, whom we insist is a political detainee to vote on May 7," she said.

Ahmad Zahid stressed that if a prisoner has been detained for three years or sentenced for over three years, an appropriate mechanism is required to grant him the right to vote remotely.