THE six state elections should be held after May to make them easier for the Election Commission (EC) to manage, its former senior officer Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said.

He said it will be good to have a gap between the general election, which took place in November last year and the state polls, adding that the EC must also take into account Muslim voters who will perform the hajj at the end of June.

“The best time to hold state elections is after May. August or September is also appropriate. After all, it would be already past the season for Muslims to go for hajSix states,” he said.

More than 31,000 pilgrims are scheduled to perform “wukuf” on June 27, based on information from the Tabung Haji Board.

The first group of pilgrims using the flights by Tabung Haji is scheduled to depart on May 21 while the last group is scheduled to return to Malaysia on August 2.

Wan Ahmad said the elections in six states – Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor and Negri Sembilan – should not be held before May to give the EC space and time to prepare again.

This, he said, is based on its experience, that the EC may not be able to get the services of the same election officials and volunteers who were on duty in the 15th general election.

“These people may have changed their (polling) stations. So, the EC often has to retrain new officers,” he said.

He reminded the election task force that it is important to ensure that all parties involved know that the election is conducted fairly and without flaws.

“So it will not be easy for the EC if it is held (state elections) too close after GE15,” he said.

The six states that have not yet held elections have mandates that generally expire around the end of June and the beginning of July.

With the exception of the Penang assembly – its term ends on August 1 – the mandate in five other states ends between June 25 and July 3, making the 60-day period for elections to be held for those five states before the beginning of September.

Wan Ahmad said that all the state elections can be held simultaneously to facilitate the management and save costs.

He said that there is no problem if all six states do not dissolve their state assemblies at the same time because in the end it is the EC that sets the election date.

“They can dissolve at any time, there is no problem, because in politics it is difficult to find an agreement (suitable date).

“But the EC can determine simultaneous elections because it is the one who determines the nomination of candidates and voting within 60 days,” he said.

Earlier this week, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun said the three states under Pakatan Harapan (PH), including Selangor and Penang, may hold elections in May or June.

PAS elections director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor also hinted that the state elections will be held in March or August.

Political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said that PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN) generally have nothing to lose if they hold state elections in August.

He said that the voter support for PN was still strong, although it may not have been as strong as during the general election.

Mazlan expects PAS to remain in Kelantan, the state it has controlled since 1990, but there is a 50-50 chance that it will not retain Kedah and Terengganu.

“There are factors such as the performance of the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim. The people see the prime minister’s performance as okay as they don’t see many weaknesses. There is also the factor of Umno now with PH,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ilham Center chief researcher Mohd Yusri Ibrahim thinks there is no difference if state elections are rushed or delayed until the end of the term.

He sees a very dynamic Malaysian political landscape, as shown in the last federal polls.

Yusri believes PAS will benefit more if it continues to govern until the end of its mandate.

“After all, the states ruled by PAS have no major issues related to the stability of the unity government, so there is no issue if it is to be extended until the end of the term.

“The people recently went out to vote in the general election last November. It is good to leave a gap between state and federal elections, so that the mood of the voters will rise again,” he said.

Malaysia went to the polls on November 19, simultaneously with the states of Perlis, Perak, and Pahang.

Four other states – Malacca, Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak – held elections in 2020 and early 2021. – January 19, 2023.