Analysis of the Malaysian Electoral System

938 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: 5 importance of election in malaysia

According to the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia (“Process of election”, n.d.), there are six steps for the Electoral process in Malaysia. It consists of the issuance of the writ, nomination of candidates, election campaign, polling, counting of votes and announcement of results.

Firstly, a writ to the Returning Officers (RO) will be issued by the Election Committee under the Elections Act 1958 (“The election process - 13th Malaysian”, 2013) after the dissolution of the Parliament or a State Legislative Assembly or in the event of a casual vacancy (“Process of election”, n.d.). The RO can then conduct the elections. A notice of election will be announced and posted in public places for citizens to view. The notices will include some information such as the date of nomination and the polling date (“Process of election”, n.d.). There will be an advanced voting date for those who are absent on the exact polling date (“Process of election”, n.d.).

Next, during the process of nomination the candidates, proposer or seconder will submit the nomination forms to the RO between 9 a.m. to 10a.m. on nomination day (“Process of election”, n.d.). The nomination forms must be accompanied by a statutory declaration along with a deposit of RM10, 000 to contest for a parliamentary seat and RM5, 000 for a state seat by the candidates (“The election process - 13th Malaysian”, 2013). The Assistant Returning Officers will assist the RO to ensure that the candidates are eligible to stand for the elections. The candidates are disqualified if they are of unsound mind, relinquished their citizenship, failed to lodge any return of election expenses, holds an “office of profit”, convicted of an offense by a court of law in Malaysia with a jail term of...

... middle of paper ...

...article&id=216-process-of-election&Itemid=242

Report of special select committee on electoral reforms, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.parlimen.gov.my/images/webuser/jkuasa/DR_%201%20YEAR%202012%20-%20PART%20VII.pdf

Response from Bersih 2.0 to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform, (2012). Retrieved from http://www.bersih.org/?p=4627

The election process - 13th Malaysian general election. (2013, March 8). The Star Online. Retrieved from http://elections.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=/2013/3/8/election2012/20130308160214#.UwwxrfmSwoa

The electoral process. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aliran.com/archives/hr/js9.html

The role of the Election Commission- 13th Malaysian general election. (2013, March 8). The Star Online. Retrieved from http://elections.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=/2013/3/8/election2012/20130308172701

Show More
Related

  • Should British Elections Use Proportional Representation?

    1963 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this essay I will argue that British General Elections should be conducted using a system of Proportional Representation. First, I will argue that the system would be more democratic as every vote that is cast would be represented and this ...

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Voting In The United States

    1903 Words  | 4 Pages

    2014. “Voting within Australia – Frequently Asked Questions.”Australian Electoral Commission, August 22. http://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/Voting_Australia.htm (March 2015).

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Canada's Electoral System

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    The authors describe some of the advantages of a MMP system: “Mixed electoral systems provide fairly proportional outcomes, maintain the geographic link between constituents and members, provide for greater choice, and allow the opportunity for smaller parties to represented in Parliament” (p. 11). This system works better than the current FPTP or plurality system, because it allows citizen’s a second opportunity to have a voice. This is important because it would allow our minority groups to have a greater political influence. As mentioned earlier, in the current system all votes for candidates who lost, were insignificant to the election outcome. The authors explain: “Only those votes that go to the eventual winner count towards electing a representative, which may discourage people from voting or promote disaffection with the system” (p. 3). Alternatively, the MMP system allows citizen’s a second opportunity to elect party members in order to proportionally represent the popular

    Read More

  • Democratic Republic Of The Republic

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a representative of the Algo ethnic group, I want to say that our people would like the new state to introduce a parliamentary system of governence. Parliamentarism is a system of government in which the head of government is elected by and accountable to a parliament or legislature. One could rightfully ask: What is our reasoning for desiring this? We think it is justified because in presidential systems the populace at large votes for a chief executive, who is the President, in a nation-wide election. This is revenant as the Algo comprises the minority of the population of the Republic of Jarth, which consists of only 1.1 million representatives in the whole state, compared to that of 2.9 million Randies, 3.8 million Dorfas and 2.2 million Takas living in the Republic of Jarth. One can reasonably assume that the outcome will most likely be that the cumulation of the majority’s vote will hinder the representation (in numbers) of the members of the minority in office. Subsequently, the Algo will have to live under the control of a leader from another ethnic group again, which the Algo members tremble at the thought of because we are proud of their ethnicity and do not wished to be shamed for it. On the other hand, in parliamentarism, the first step is an election of members of parliament, which are the political parties. This is imperative since it will allow the Algo to be able to choose the party we really share interests with....

    Read More

  • Electoral Reform in Canada

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    The issue of electoral reform has become more important than ever in Canada in recent years as the general public has come to realize that our current first-past-the-post, winner-take-all system, formally known as single-member plurality (SMP) has produced majority governments of questionable legitimacy. Of the major democracies in the world, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom are the only countries that still have SMP systems in place. Interestingly enough, there has been enormous political tension and division in the last few years in these countries, culminating with the election results in Canada and the USA this year that polarized both countries. In the last year we have seen unprecedented progress towards electoral reform, with PEI establishing an electoral reform commissioner and New Brunswick appointing a nine-member Commission on Legislative Democracy in December 2003 to the groundbreaking decision by the British Columbia Citizen’s Assembly on October 24, 2004 that the province will have a referendum on May 17, 2005 to decide whether or not they will switch to a system of proportional representation. This kind of reform is only expected to continue, as Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty decided to take BC’s lead and form an independent Citizen’s Assembly with the power to determine whether or not Ontario will have a referendum regarding a change to a more proportional system. There is still much work to do however, and we will examine the inherent problems with Canada’s first-past-the-post system and why we should move into the 21st century and switch to a form of proportional representation.

    Read More

  • Democratic Deficit in Canada

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tanguay, Brian . "Electoral Reform in Canada: Addressing the Democratic Deficit | Manitoba Law Journal." Robson Hall Faculty of Law. http://robsonhall.ca/mlj/content/electoral-reform-canada-addressing-democratic-deficit (accessed October 21, 2013).

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

    2215 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...lso speaks of the instances where the system had failed to accurately represent the national popular will’s vote and goes into depth about each instance. Obviously this article is against the Electoral College and it gives many points in support of the anti-electoral college supporters. In conclusion of his article he does mention that this voting system has worked well throughout the years, but believes that it is not necessary because of the reasons that the Electoral College was established is no longer an issue in today’s world. So therefore the voting system is outdated. My use for this article in my research regarding the Electoral College debate will strengthen my argument against the Electoral College. It will be useful because of the in-depth explanations of each instance in which the current voting system failed to represent the national popular will.

    Read More

  • Women and Political Representation in Canada: Equality, Fairness, and Capabilities

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mohan, S. et al. (2001). “Baseline Report: Women and Political Representation in India.” International Women’s Rights Action Watch: Asia Pacific (IWRAW). Retrieved on December 17th, 2011 from < http://www.iwraw-ap.org/aboutus/pdf/FPwomen_and_pol_pax.pdf>.

    Read More

  • Regionalism in Canada

    1815 Words  | 4 Pages

    Milner, Henry. First Past the Post? Progress Report on Electoral Reform Initiatives in Canadian Provinces. Ottawa: Institute for Research and Public Policy, 5(9), 2004.

    Read More

  • Canada's Electoral System

    1906 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nakhaie, M. R. (2006). Electoral participation in municipal, provincial and federal elections in Canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 39(2), 363-390.

    Read More

  • A Brief History of France

    2038 Words  | 5 Pages

    ... local elected representatives elect the members of the Senate. Parliamentary elections consist of an electoral system that involves two rounds. In the first round, candidates obtain election by gaining a majority of votes cast. Round two consists of two or more candidates facing off in a runoff.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Robert Dahl's On Democracy

    1609 Words  | 4 Pages

    In On Democracy, Robert Dahl presents five criteria that states are required to meet in order to satisfy the primary aim of democracy, which is to provide political equality to all of its citizens (1998, 37). The criteria include effective participation, equal voting, enlightened understanding, open agenda setting and inclusion. (Dahl, 1998, 38). Above these criteria, this paper will only focus on effective participation and enlightened understanding to apply them to India; this is because its citizens are going through a tough time with the two criteria to become a state with effective democracy. Therefore, this paper will demonstrate that India is in the process of achieving effective participation, but significantly lacks enlightened understanding.

    Read More

  • The Argument for and Against Gender Quotas

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    The implementation of gender quotas in electoral politics is a mean to combat the democratic deficit that occurs when a social group is excluded from the political sphere due to structural or cultural reasons. Quotas are a form of affirmative action/positive discrimination which is meant to remove the structural and cultural obstacles that keep women out of the formal political ...

    Read More

  • Dominant Party System in Malaysia

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a dominant- party system, a single party wins approximately 60 percent or more of the seats in legislature and two or more other parties usually win less than 40 percent of the seat. Opposition parties in dominant-party system are free to contest elections. The dominant parties have to compete for votes to maintain its power or to gain power. This democratic competition imposes a check and balance on the government of the day, promotes transparency and accountability and ensures that service delivery to the people are prioritized or it will be given the boot.

    Read More

  • Why Democracy is the Best Form of Government

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    Blais, Andre. "Electoral Insight." CCL Web: Criteria for Assessing Electoral Systems (1999): 1-6. Web. 26 Aug. 2010.

    Read More

More about Analysis of the Malaysian Electoral System

Open Document