PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the decision was made in a central committee meeting.

In a statement, he voiced hope that the outcome of the by-election would favour the opposition.

“This is important because to have good democratic practices, a check and balance process is required in any government administration.

“In other words, the role of the opposition is crucial,” he said.

He added that PAS had decided to support a candidate contesting on behalf of the opposition and urged party members in the constituency to follow suit.

In a press conference earlier today, Election Commission chairman Azhar Harun said candidates could file their nominations for the Cameron Highlands by-election on Jan 12, which would give them a two-week campaign period.

Candidates are allowed to campaign from nomination day until midnight on Jan 25.

Early voting will take place on Jan 22.

Last month, the Election Court revoked Barisan Nasional’s (BN) victory in the May 9 general election after ruling that bribes were given during the campaign to buy votes.

MIC’s C Sivarraajh, who won the seat, said he would not challenge the court’s decision. He said BN would rather fight for the cause of the people in a by-election than go to the Federal Court.