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KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional will not contest Batu Sapi by-elections, says Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Photo).
The Barisan president said the coalition made that decision because it believes that the spread of Covid-19 should be avoided after what happened during the Sabah state elections.
“We will leave it to the discretion of the Electoral Commission (EC) to decide on the duration of the campaign and the suitability of the date of the elections.
“In our opinion, the safety and health of the rakyat must be prioritized,” he said in a statement on Thursday (October 8).
The Dewan Rakyat has declared Batu Sapi’s post vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
The notice of the vacancy dated October 6, 2020 was sent to the EC in accordance with article 54 of the Federal Constitution.
The CE must fill the vacancy within 60 days from the date of notification.
Liew, 60, died at Gleneagles Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on October 2, believed to be due to a lung infection.
The former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was previously admitted to Jesselton Medical Center for a herniated disc before the September 12 nomination day for the Sabah elections and was transferred to Gleneagles Hospital for further medical care.
His condition worsened when he was diagnosed with a lung infection.
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