PETALING JAYA: The Election Commission (EC) will meet on Friday to discuss key dates for the Padang Serai parliamentary polls after the death of Pakatan Harapan candidate, M Karupaiya, earlier today.
EC secretary Ikmalrudin Ishak, who expressed his condolences to Karupaiya’s family, said the EC would release a statement after the meeting.
The Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations 1981, Regulation 11(6) states that the EC can call for a by-election on a separate date in the event a nominated candidate dies.
Penang PKR deputy chief Bakthiar Wan Chik told FMT that according to the family, Karupaiya died from ischaemic heart disease.
Karupaiya, who was seeking re-election to a second term, was in a six-cornered fight against Barisan Nasional’s C Sivarraajh, Perikatan Nasional’s Azman Nasrudin, Pejuang’s Hamzah Abdul Rahman, Warisan’s Bakri Hashim, and independent candidate Sreanandha Rao.