The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, made it official that the 14th Parliament was being dissolved on Monday at 3pm.
Citing from the report of Astro Awani, after the 2023 Budget was presented by the coalition government, the date for the dissolution of Parliament finally came to end yesterday after being a hot issue throughout the past week.
Who will fill the shoes of the departing government and lead the country for the next five years is currently unknown. So, what happens after parliament has been dissolved?
The dissolution of Parliament
After the Prime Minister met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa at Istana Negara ereyesterday, Istana Negara yesterday announced that the date of dissolution of Parliament will be effective on October 10, as reported by Astro Awani.
For your information, even though the Provisional Government is not in the Constitution, the government still has temporary and limited powers to do work on an interim basis based on Westminster system.
Public services will run as usual including the work of the authorities while the Chief Secretary, Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali will carry out the task of smoothing the government’s administration. All policies, acts, and legislation that want to be presented in Parliament will be postponed first following the dissolution of Parliament.
Astro Awani reported that for Budget 2023, the new government formed after the 15th General Election will present a new Budget for next year and the process will start from scratch.
For the State Level, usually the State Legislature (DUN) in the states also dissolved on the same day as the dissolution of Parliament. However, it is a little different for GE15 when the States of Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka and Johor conduct State Elections earlier.
According to Astro Awani, state assemblies under the administration of the opposition party, Pakatan Harapan (PH) including Penang, Negeri Sembilan, and Selangor will only dissolve in 2023 in line with the statement published by the coalition party.
Meanwhile, the DUN of Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan from PAS are still in discussion on whether to dissolve or not.
SPR announce important dates of GE15
The Malaysian Election Commission (SPR) will announce important dates for GE15. Such as candidate nominations, early voting day, and a regular voting day after holding meetings and press conferences within 60 days.
Picture: BERNAMA
Astro Awani added that before the election, SPR will issue writs and instructions to election officials in their respective areas throughout the country. Election notices will also place in all locations for public information.
The notice contains the date for nomination of candidates and the date of early voting and regular voting.
The political ring is open
Next, on candidate nomination day, each political party has to prepare candidates to compete in the area. They must also submit candidate forms on the Candidate Nomination Date between 9 and 10 am.
Candidates who want to grab a parliamentary seat, need to pay a deposit of RM10,000. As for state assembly seats, they need to pay RM5,000.
Once the candidates completely fill out the nomination form and check by the election officer, they can participate.
SPR will cancel the participation if a candidate does not fill out the information form completely, is bankrupt, intellectually weak, or is not a Malaysian citizen.
The election officer will announce the results of candidates who are eligible to compete for the seat after 10 am.
Election Campaign begins
After SPRs announce the candidate nomination results, the election campaign will usually last for 12 to 14 days.
Picture: BERNAMA
Astro Awani explained that RM200,000 is the maximum expenditure that can be spent by a candidate for a parliamentary seat while campaigning while candidates can spend up to a maximum amount of RM100,000.
Throughout the campaign period, the SPR will establish a task force to monitor the behavior of the candidates. While campaigning and ensure that they comply with the set rules.
SPRM will monitor the election activities if there is an element of corruption. Moreover, the Royal Malaysian Police will also undertake the task of ensuring that public tranquility is maintained throughout the process.
Early vote
Early voting day is to allow the families of PDRM and ATMs to cast their ballots. SPR will keep the number of votes in a safe location. They will keep it until the actual voting day to count with other ballot papers.
Postal vote
Individuals who vote by post, will receive the ballot paper early. Postal voters need to return the marked ballot paper to the Election Office at 5 pm on polling day.
Overseas voters will be divided into two categories, namely:
- Malaysian citizens who live abroad and already registered to vote by post
- those who are overseas but do not need approval for postal voting
Voting day
Picture: BERNAMA
For your information, GE15 in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak will extend by one hour for the voting time. SPR also creates a special channel for voters aged 60 and the Disabled (OKU).
It is to ensure that the election process in the country is more efficient, fair, and transparent, Astro Awani explained.
In the meantime, SPR also took another alternative by increasing the number of polling stations and available channels. It’s to avoid commotion during the voting day following the implementation of the 18-year-old Vote.
Vote count
Once they close voting polls, the presiding officer will count the ballot papers. The officials involved will ensure the number of ballot papers receive. And, it is at each center at the beginning of voting is the same as the ballot papers given to the voters. As well as unused ballot papers.
Picture: BERNAMA
SPR will discard ballot papers that are unclear and not marked correctly. After that, the counting will begin and the presiding officer will look again at the unclear ballot paper. This is to determine whether it is acceptable or otherwise.
They will take form with the total number of votes to the vote counting center. It’s where the election officials will announce the results at the respective polling centers.
Source: Awani
