The Election Commission (EC) and the returning officers in the affected constituencies have been named as respondents in all seven suits.

The remaining six suits involve the Lubok Antu, Sandakan, Segamat, Putatan, Tenom and Tuaran parliamentary seats.

“Other petitions may have been filed without the EC or the returning officers being named as parties,” the source added.

Section 38 (1) of the Election Offences Act 1954 states that election petitions must be presented within 21 days after the election results were gazetted.

Voter Azmi Mahmood, who filed a challenge to nullify the Gua Musang election results, has named Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Azizi Abu Naim, the EC, and returning officer Ab Fattah Hasbullah as respondents.

Azmi claims that money was paid out to some voters in return for their votes. Several boxes of votes from certain voting centres were also not accounted for, he said.

Azizi won by a razor-thin majority of 163 after garnering 21,826 votes, defeating Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who had held the seat since 1974.

Meanwhile, lawyer V Muniandy said Section 32 of the Election Offences Act 1954 provides several grounds on which an election may be nullified.

These are “general bribery, general treating or general intimidation that have so extensively prevailed that they may be reasonably supposed to have affected the result of the election”, non-compliance with the provisions of any written law and corrupt practices by a candidate or his election agent.

He said Section 35A provides that the trial must be completed within six months from the date the petition is filed.

“Under Section 36B, an appeal to the Federal Court must be disposed of within six months,” he added.