PUTRAJAYA, May 27 — The Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on June 6 to discuss the important dates of the Sungai Bakap state by-election in Penang.
Its secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak said it was due to the unexpected vacancy of the state seat following the death of its incumbent Zamri Latiff on May 24.
The commission had received an official notification from the Penang State Legislative Assembly’s Speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang regarding the vacant Sungai Bakap seat.
“As provided under Clause (5) Article 19 of the Penang State Constitution, the contingency vacancy must be filled within 60 days from the date the seat vacancy is confirmed by the EC,” he said in a statement today.
Ikmalrudin added that a press conference would be held immediately after the special meeting ended.
On May 24, Zamri, 56, died at 1.38pm while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Seberang Jaya Hospital due to a stomach inflammation. He had been receiving treatment at the medical centre since the beginning of this month.
During the Penang State Election in August last year, Zamri, who was also Nibong Tebal PAS’ president, defeated Pakatan Harapan candidate Nurhidayah Che Rose with a majority of 1,563 votes.
— Bernama
