Azmi, who is also the acting EC chairman following the retirement of Abdul Ghani Salleh, said transparency is a fundamental aspect of democracy, and the EC should be subjected to the same ideals.

He admitted that the appointment process, including his own position, has been “shrouded in secrecy and opaque practices”.

“Perhaps it is time to throw light upon this process. It is not unprecedented in our country to have a change in appointment processes,” he said at the Bersih congress today.

The former Universiti Malaya law lecturer highlighted the nine-member Judicial Appointment Commission as an example where a once unknown process is now subject to a more transparent approach.

Ghani retired from the EC chairman’s post on May 9, after serving for four years.

Electoral watchdog Bersih had previously called on the government to take corrective measures by immediately establishing a parliamentary committee to revamp the appointment process for the EC chief’s post.

The Undi18 movement also urged the government to appoint an electoral expert with significant experience in electoral reforms as the next EC chairman.

Under Article 114 of the Federal Constitution, members of the EC, including its chairman, shall be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after consultation with the Conference of Rulers.

While expressing his belief that Malaysia’s polling system is “second to none”, Azmi said there is still a need for electoral reform.

“The polling and counting agent system along with the observers who are commonplace in our elections mean that accusations of vote-rigging are facetious and mischievous to the extreme,” he said.

“But this does not detract from the desperate need for reform to occur and to occur now.”