PETALING JAYA: Candidates cannot withdraw from contesting once their nomination papers have been accepted.
Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Omar said candidates had the right to pull out but their names would continue to appear on the ballot papers and votes they received would still be tallied.
“It is the personal right of a candidate to stop campaigning. However, candidates whose papers have been approved are not allowed to withdraw,” said Wan Ahmad.
Under the new regulations, candidates were no longer given a grace period of three days from nomination day to formally withdraw and have their names removed from the ballot papers, he added.
The new rules abolished the “cooling off” period to ensure candidates were serious about contesting when filing their nomination papers.
The abolition was to prevent candidates from contesting in the hope that they could later negotiate a withdrawal with their opponents, Wan Ahmad said.
On DAP veteran Sim Tong Him withdrawing his Independent candidacy for the Kota Laksamana state seat after being issued an ultimatum from party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Wan Ahmad said it was an internal party matter.
Sim is contesting as a DAP candidate for the Kota Melaka parliamentary seat and as an Independent in the Kota Laksamana state constituency.
“His nomination to contest in both constituencies was approved by the Returning Officer, so the decision is final,” said Wan Ahmad.
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