May 22, 2026
World
World
MECCA, May 22 — More than one million Muslims are converging on Mecca for the haj pilgrimage, as regional tensions in the Middle East and a fragile ceasefire cast a shadow over the event.
PUTRAJAYA, May 21 — Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun has confirmed that no by-elections will be held for the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats.
He said the decision was made in accordance with Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution, after Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul informed the EC that there was no requirement to fill the casual vacancies.
“Following this, no by-election will be conducted for the P.100 Pandan and P.118 Setiawangsa constituencies,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Ramlan added that the EC had received an official notification from Johari via a letter dated today, confirming the status of the two seats after they were declared vacant under Article 51 of the Federal Constitution.
On Sunday (May 17), Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, former PKR deputy president, and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, former PKR vice-president, announced their decision to vacate their parliamentary seats on Monday and leave the party effective Tuesday through letters submitted to the party’s secretary-general.
They later assumed leadership of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), a small Penang-based political party. — Bernam
