THE Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that no by-elections will be held for three Perlis state assembly seats following the withdrawal of the unexpected vacancies previously notified by the Perlis State Assembly Speaker, Rus’sele Eizan.
EC Chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun stated on Thursday that the announcement followed the Perlis State Assembly’s retraction of its earlier notification of vacancies.
Consequently, the EC will not convene a special meeting to discuss the matter.
“There will be no by-elections and no need to hold a special meeting to discuss their implementation,” he told Berita Harian yesterday.
The three seats in question—DUN Bintong, DUN Guar Sanji, and DUN Chuping—had been declared vacant by Speaker Rus’sele after three PAS representatives, Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong), Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji), and Saad Seman (Chuping), were expelled from the party. They were among eight Perikatan Nasional (PN) assemblymen who withdrew support from the then-Menteri Besar of Perlis, Mohd Shukri Ramli of Sanglang.
The political upheaval also prompted Mohd Shukri to resign on 25 December, after which ADUN Kuala Perlis from BERSATU, Abu Bakar Hamzah, was appointed as the new Menteri Besar.
Yesterday, the Perlis State Assembly formally withdrew its notification to the EC regarding the by-elections for the three previously vacated seats.
Speaker Rus’sele Eizan confirmed that the seats would remain vacant until the next general election.
“This decision was made after considering the latest developments, including PAS, a PN component party, providing assurances that it will continue to support and sustain the Perlis government,” he said.
Rus’sele explained that he initially sent a notice to the EC on 29 December indicating that the three PAS assemblymen were deemed ineligible under Article 50A(1)(a)(ii) of the Perlis State Constitution, which would ordinarily trigger the need for a by-election in accordance with Clause (5) Article 55 of the same constitution.
“However, after PAS issued an official statement confirming its commitment to uphold the state government in line with the mandate of the 15th General Election, I concluded that the majority of assemblymen was no longer affected.
“The statement by the Menteri Besar affirming his dedication to continuing the PN unity agenda, which currently enjoys a strong majority of 11 out of 15 state assembly seats, was also considered in the reassessment.
“In light of this, I find there is no need to conduct by-elections for the three unexpected vacancies,” he said.
The withdrawal of the notification to hold by-elections was officially communicated to the EC in a letter dated the day before yesterday. Rus’sele emphasised that the decision aligns with the wishes of the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail, urging all PN assemblymen to remain united and cooperate for the benefit of the state and its citizens.
“The latest developments have also been formally presented to His Royal Highness through a letter sent yesterday,” he added. - January 1, 2026
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