Azhar said finding the weaknesses in the electoral system following the 14th general election (GE14) did not require rocket science.

It was obvious what needed to be done by the next general election, he added.

“No need to give it a hard thought as the weaknesses are plenty. Bad perceptions are plenty.

“When it comes to fixing them, it’s very clear what needs to be done,” he said after the Electoral Reform Roundtable in Parliament today.

Azhar said the reforms he had in mind could be divided into four categories, depending mainly on the timeframe required.

“The first type of reforms are those that can be done immediately as they don’t require any amendments to laws or regulations. So, we will do that first.

“There are others which require amending regulations. These, I can do by myself, so it’s not a problem.

“Then there are the reforms that require a certain law to be amended in Parliament with a simple majority.

“The last set of reforms need an amendment to the Federal Constitution, which will require a two-thirds majority.”

During the roundtable discussion, Azhar said the EC hoped to be faster than online portals in announcing election results.

He said what was published by online portals were data obtained from the EC Form 14 which had yet to be verified.

“Even though we have the information, we can’t publish them and declare the winners until we’ve received and verified the hard copy.

“Portals like Malaysiakini get the same data through agents. So why not we do that too?”

In the May 9 general election, there were complaints from both politicians and the public about long delays in announcing the results, with some asking if the EC had ulterior motives for these delays.

On Sept 21, Azhar was appointed EC chairman, replacing Mohd Hashim Abdullah, whose tenure as chairman was shortened to July 1. The EC now comprises new members.