State polls: Voting day on Aug 12 - EC

PUTRAJAYA - Polling day for the elections in six states will be held simultaneously on Aug 12.

Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh said that the nomination of candidates was set for July 29.

"As for early voting, it will be on Aug 8," he said during a press conference at the EC headquarters, here, on Thursday.

The state polls involved 36 State Legislative Assembly seats in Kedah, Kelantan (45), Terengganu (32), Penang (40), Selangor (56) and Negeri Sembilan (36).

He said with the dates set, the campaign period would be 14 days after the candidate nomination day on July 29 to 11.59pm on Aug 11.

Ghani said the application for all postal votes internationally and domestically was opened on June 15 and would close on July 26 for the 1A category.

"The closure date for the 1B category would be this Saturday, while 1C would be on July 11.

"The 1A category individuals are election officers, personnel and media personnel.

"Malaysians abroad represented the 1B category, while 1C categories are agencies and organisations," he said.

He said EC appointed 245 election management officers aided by 740 assistants.

"To observe campaign activities, EC has established 252 campaign enforcement teams led by police, local authorities and candidates," he said.

Ghani said candidates were urged to fill and review their forms in the management or state election offices before the candidate nomination day.

"They are also urged to make their deposit payments earlier to ensure the nomination process runs smoothly," he said.

He explained the candidate naming papers that were filled and reviewed must be presented by the candidate, incumbents or proposers during the nomination day.

"Any parties wanting to become an observer can submit an application to the EC via e-mail at [email protected]," he said.