KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Over half a million Sarawakians have reached the voting age but have not registered to vote as of last year’s fourth quarter, a minister said ahead of Sarawak state elections.
“For your information, the number of Malaysians aged 21 and above that are eligible but have not registered as voters for Sarawak until ST 4/2015 is as many as 553,233 individuals.
“However, the Election Commission (EC) does not have information regarding the total number of Sarawak voters who are living in Peninsular Malaysia and the number of Peninsular Malaysia voters living in Sarawak,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said in a brief written parliamentary reply to Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong.
The Sarawak state legislative assembly will be dissolved on April 11, with the state election for 82 seats required to be held within 60 days from that day.
The Election Commission has not fixed the nomination and polling date for this year’s Sarawak election that will be carried out with a budget of RM135 million, but Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem has indicated his preference for polls to be held on April 30.
Based on the latest electoral roll gazetted last December, a total of 1,141,294 people are eligible to vote in the Sarawak polls, including 14,000 and 9,500 from the armed forces and the police respectively.
The total number also includes 25,042 advance voters and 106 postal voters based overseas.
