The Election Commission (EC) has decided there is no need for a by-election for the Paya Besar parliamentary seat in Pahang, which fell vacant following the death of its incumbent Abdul Manan Ismail.

EC chairperson Mohd Hashim Abdullah said this was in line with Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution as the seat vacancy occurred within two years of the dissolution of Parliament.

“As such, the unexpected vacancy cannot be filled unless Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia informs the EC in writing that a by-election is necessary,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Hashim said he received an official notification yesterday on the vacant seat from Pandikar Amin.

Abdul Manan, 70, died of heart attack at his home in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur last Monday.

Meanwhile, Mohd Hashim said no new procedure would be introduced on the voting method in the 14th general elections (GE14).

He said there were confusion and misunderstanding during the briefing and simulation session with the Pahang media yesterday, whereby it was reported that the EC would introduce a ‘finger massage’ procedure in GE14 to avoid any fraud during the polls.

“It's actually just one of the ways for election staff to conduct finger inspection on voters to identify fraudulent attempts by using fake fingers during the polls,” he added.

Mohd Hashim said the method was in line with Rule 19(13) and 19A of the Elections (Conduct of Election) Regulations 1981, which required the finger inspection to be carried out to ensure that no ink had been marked on the voter's finger before being dipped in election ink.

The method was used in GE13, by-elections after GE13 and the 11th Sarawak State Election, and it would continue to be practised in GE14, added Mohd Hashim.

- Bernama