KUALA LUMPUR: The Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat has been declared vacant following the rejection of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's petition for a royal pardon.
Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia today said Anwar has been disqualified as Permatang Pauh MP with immediate effect after a pardons board decided to maintain his five-year jail term for sodomy.
He also said he had informed the Election Commission of the vacancy for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat after Anwar’s disqualification as an MP took effect on March 16.
“A notice has been delivered to the EC in line with Article 54 of the Federal Constitution on the vacancy of the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat as soon as the disqualification of its MP takes effect,” Pandikar said in a press statement today.
Pandikar said he had received a letter from the Pardons Board informing that the “jail sentence for the applicant (Anwar) should continue.”
The Pardons Board on March 16 had deliberated upon and rejected the petition for a royal pardon by the jailed opposition leader over his sodomy conviction.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof confirmed with the New Straits Times that he has received the notice earlier this afternoon.
"The EC will meet as soon as possible to set the dates for nomination and polling for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election in Penang," he said.
Senior Federal Counsel Amarjeet Singh told reporters that the board's rejection means that Anwar is disqualified as the Permatang Pauh MP.
"On March 16, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the Pardons Board's meeting had rejected the pardon by the applicant. The disqualification of MP takes effect immediately based on Article 48 (4)(c) of the Federal Constitution, as such, there is no basis for the leave to proceed," he said at the High Court (Appellate and Special Powers Division).