Cover A lady seen posing with her inked finger at a polling station during GE14 in 2018 (Photo: Getty Images)
A lady seen posing with her inked finger at a polling station during GE14 in 2018 (Photo: Getty Images)
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Come the 15th general election (GE15) on November 19, 2022, Malaysians will vote in what has been coined the 'mother of all elections'—and here's why
The Election Commission (EC) announced today (October 20) that Malaysia will be holding its 15th general election (GE15) on November 19, 2022. This comes after the parliament was dissolved on October 10, a mere three days after the Budget 2023 was tabled.
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Candidate nominations will take place on November 5, providing for a 14-day campaigning period, and all 222 parliamentary seats will be up for grabs during GE15. The outcome of the elections will determine Malaysia's political arena after the heightened uncertainty and turmoil in the past two years.
Here's why GE15 will be different from previous elections.
Undi18
Above Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
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More than 20 million Malaysians are expected to come out and vote, with the Malaysian youth (aged 18 to 40 years old) now the largest electoral bloc. The country's eligible voter base grew by nearly 50 per cent for GE15 compared to nearly 15 million in GE14.
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This is primarily due to the Undi18 Bill, which allows all Malaysians aged 18 and above to vote. For the first time ever, 18-year-olds will be voting and they will represent the voice of the youth.
Automatic Registration
Previously, Malaysians were required to manually register to vote at the EC office, mobile booths, or online—this is no longer necessary. The gazette of the Undi18 Bill in 2021 was complemented with automatic voter registration which took effect on December 15, 2021. This automatically enrols all Malaysians as voters as soon as they turn 18.
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More than 5.7 million Malaysians aged 18 and above as of December 31, 2021, have been registered as new voters. Eligible voters can check their status here.
Extended Voting Hours
Above Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
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De facto law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced that voting hours have been extended for GE15 now that the voter pool has swelled, to give voters more time to cast their ballots.
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To improve efficiency and smoothen the polling process, the voting time will be extended by an hour, from 8am to 6pm in the peninsula and 7:30am to 5:30pm in Sabah and Sarawak. Additionally, the EC will also open more voting channels to prevent congestion at voting centres nationwide.
Postal Votes
The EC has also abolished certain conditions for postal voting that was implemented in GE14. Previously, only those who had lived in or returned to Malaysia for 30 days or more in the past five years could apply for postal voting. Those living in southern Thailand (Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla and Satun), Singapore, Brunei, or Kalimantan, also did not qualify for postal voting and had to come back to cast their ballots.
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These no longer apply as all Malaysians who are abroad aged 18 and above can register online to vote by post when registration opens. Applicants must provide details such as their passport numbers, reasons for living overseas, and their mailing addresses. This does not apply to those who are on holiday overseas. The deadline for registration is October 23, 2022.
Anti-Party Hopping Bill
Above Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
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In July 2022, the Anti-Party Hopping Bill was passed unanimously in parliament, which made amendments to the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 on Provisions Preventing Members of Parliament from Switching Parties. The bill has been mooted by both government and opposition MPs after the Sheraton Move in early 2020 led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
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The new law, aimed at ensuring political stability, will ensure that current members of the parliament who 'jump ship' from their respective political parties will do so at the cost of losing their seats, which will trigger a recall election or a by-election.
Lainey was the Digital Director of Tatler Malaysia. When not whiling away the hours watching documentaries, the latest K-drama, or reruns of Friends, she can be found indulging her wanderlust by stalking travel platforms or feeding her obsession with music. She loves animals, running, all things social media, a good conversation over coffee or soju or wine (often rambling on if nobody pulls the brakes on her), and is an avid fan of bursting-at-the-seams laughter.
