KUALA LUMPUR: Implementing automatic voter registration (AVR) needs further amendment to the Federal Constitution, said Election Commission chief Azhar Azizan Harun.
According to him, amending the constitution on lowering the voting age to 18 years old alone was not enough.
The amendment would involved Article 119(4) of the Federal Constitution, he said.
“For (lowering voting age to) 18 years old, the Federal Constitution needs to be amended and for the automatic registration needs another amendment on the Constitution too as well as amendment to the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002.
“This is because, based on the structure now, voters who wants to register need to make an application by filling up Form A.
“So, if we want to change it to AVR, all of these provisions must be amended too,” he told reporters when met at the Parliament lobby here today.
Azhar said while the amendments to the regulations must be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, it doesn’t need approval of the Lower House.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is scheduled to table the amendment to Article 119(1) for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat to lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
Since the amendment requires amendment to the Federal Constitution, a two-thirds majority of the House is required.
At the moment, Pakatan Harapan is short of nine Members of Parliaments with only 139 lawmakers on its side.
Yesterday, the opposition bloc gave its word that they would support the Bill with the condition that AVR is on the table.