EC chairman unsure if Tok Mat revealing his vote is against the law, will check

(The Star) – Election Commission (EC) chairman Azhar Azizan Harun (pic) is unsure if Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan displaying his ballot paper after marking it is against the law or not.

“I am not too sure. What I know is that the ballot paper should be kept secret and no one else can reveal it. However, he is revealing it on his own so I am not too sure if it is against the laws,” he told reporters after announcing the results of the Rantau by-election at the counting centre in Bandar Sri Sendayan.

He, however, noted that electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 has issued a statement on the matter.

“I will look into it and check on the regulations,” he added.

“We have more voting streams now. For one voting centre, we changed to another new school that was more suitable for wheelchair-bound and elderly voters,” he said.

The EC chairman said there were 23 offences reported in the by-election with 50 police reports made.

“Most of these are for small offences such as permit issues or small mistakes on the banners,” he said.

Azhar Azizan also thanked voters for fulfilling their responsibilities and the high turnout.

“It is the highest among all by-elections since GE14. I thank the media for raising the awareness. Maybe the candidates are also the reason for the higher turnout of 79.3%,” he added.