KOTA BARU: Pas is ready to face a by-election for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat following Dewan Rakyat's decision to declare it vacant.

Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the party would not appeal the decision.

He added that Pas had no problem dealing with the Kuala Terengganu by-election as its machinery was already geared up for the Aug 12 state polls.

"It will not be an issue if the state elections are held simultaneously. Our (election) machinery in Terengganu is ready in case it coincides with the upcoming elections in six states," he said.

The Kubang Kerian assemblyman expressed confidence that Pas would win based on the significant majority it had gained in the last general election.

Yesterday, the Dewan Rakyat declared the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat vacant.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said the lower house had received notice of the unexpected vacancy for the seat.

The seat was declared vacant after the incumbent, Datuk Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim from Pas, chose not to file an appeal over a court decision that nullified his win, in accordance with Section 36A of the Election Offences Act 1954, which ended on Tuesday.

Johari said the notice was issued following the Election Court's declaration of Amzad's win on Nov 19 last year as null and void.

On June 27, the Election Court in Kuala Terengganu declared Amzad's win in last year's 15th General Election (GE15) invalid.

Supreme Court judge Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril permitted Mohd Zubir Embong, the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the seat, to file a petition regarding the result.

The judge delivered the verdict after ruling that the petitioner had successfully proven the presence of corruption elements during the GE15 campaign.

On Jan 3 this year, Terengganu Umno filed a petition in the Kuala Terengganu High Court to invalidate the GE15 result for the Kuala Terengganu seat, based on the Election Offences Act 1954.

Terengganu Umno chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Said was quoted as saying that the petition claimed, among other things, that Pas had bribed voters by distributing financial aid from the state government between Nov 15 and 17 through the i-Pencen, i-Belia, and i-Siswa programmes.

Amzad won the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat in GE15 after securing 63,016 votes, defeating Mohd Zubir, who gained 22,109 votes; Pejuang candidate Mohamad Abu Bakar Muda, who garnered 481 votes; and Pakatan Harapan candidate Raja Datuk Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad Shah, who obtained 10,946 votes.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2023/07/931274/tuan-ibrahim-pas-ready-contest-recently-declared-vacant-kuala