KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission can only register eligible voters automatically if the Federal Constitution is amended to allow this, according to Election Commission (EC) Azhar Azizan Harun (pix).
He said the Article 119 (4) of the Federal Constitution and the Election Regulations (Voter Regulation) 2002 would need to be tabled in Parliament first without debates.
“Some parts of the Federal Constitution have to be amended to have automatic registration, because the current structure requires voters to file the Form A to be a registered voter. This requirement has to be amended,” Azhar told reporters when met at the Parliament lobby.
On whether the proposal for younger voters suits the Malaysian political landscape, Azhar said he is not in the position to answer that as he must stay neutral. “That question is best left to politicians to answer,” he said.
Yesterday, the Opposition parties said they would vote for the constitutional amendment needed for the government’s bid to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 on the condition that all eligible voters are also automatically registered.
