PUTRAJAYA, March 28 — The Election Commission will not hold by-elections for the Apas and Paginatan state seats in Sabah as they have fallen vacant within two years of the dissolution of the state legislative assembly, said EC chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah.

He also said that the speaker of the state legislative assembly had not notified the EC on the need to fill the vacancies.

The Apas seat became vacant after the assemblyman, Sabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, 56, died on March 14.

The Paginatan seat fell vacant after the assemblyman, Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Siringan Gubat, 68, died on March 21.

Mohd Hashim said in a statement today that the EC decided that the by-elections would not be held. — Bernama