KUALA LUMPUR, October 7 – The Election Commission (SPR) has extended the voting period for the 15th General Election (GE15) by an hour compared to the previous general election which was from 8am to 5pm. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar informed that voting time for Peninsular Malaysia will start from 8am to 6pm while for Sabah and Sarawak from 7.30am to 5.30pm.
“Extending this time period can give voters enough time to cast their ballots,” he said in a written reply posted on the Parliament’s website on Tuesday. He answered a question from Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Pejuang-Jerlun) regarding the measures to improve the EC to ensure a high turnout and guarantee the transparency of the voting process in GE15 and beyond.
According to him, the EC also increased the number of existing voting centers and channels to avoid congestion at voting centers, following the implementation of the 18-year-old vote and automatic voter registration. He said that the improvement measures were implemented to ensure that the conduct of elections in this country was more efficient, fair and transparent. – BERNAMA
