Malaysia’s Election Commission says ready for GE15, cost estimated to be RM1 billion

Malaysia’s Election Commission (EC) said all of its state offices are ready to hold the 15th general election (GE15) anytime parliament is dissolved.

The commission’s chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh told Malay daily Utusan Malaysia that 21.1 million people are eligible to vote if the election is called soon.

The election is expected to cost around RM1 billion (about US$224 million), he was quoted in the Aug 9 report.

“The EC has taken the initiative including all aspects of budget management, logistics, ICT (information and communications technology) hardware and system requirements, human resources management as well as training for officers,” he said.

Abdul Ghani added that election officials across the country have undergone various training and intensive courses to learn about their respective roles, duties and responsibilities.

Effective Dec 15, 2021, the voting age in Malaysia has been lowered from 21 to 18, along with the implementation of automatic voter registration.

The next general election is not due until 2023 but talk of an early poll is rife, with United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which currently holds the prime minister’s post, seen pushing for the dissolution of parliament.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES