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THE Perlis State Assembly confirmed on Wednesday that there will be no by-elections for the Chuping, Bintong, and Guar Sanji state assembly seats.
The announcement was made by Perlis Legislative Assembly Speaker Rus'sele Eizan, who cited Clause (5) of Article 55 of the Perlis State Constitution, noting that the decision had been officially communicated to the Perlis State Election Commission in a letter dated December 30, 2025.
However, Rus'sele clarified that the previously declared vacancies for these three seats remain in effect, as outlined in his letter dated December 29.
The vacancies arose after three assemblymen were expelled from PAS on December 24, following the signing of statutory declarations aimed at removing Mohd Shukri Ramli as the Mentri Besar of Perlis.
The three former PAS assemblymen involved are Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong), and Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji).
The political shake-up also included five other assemblymen from Bersatu signing statutory declarations supporting the change in leadership.
On December 25, Rus'sele had confirmed that the three seats were officially vacant and stated that it was the prerogative of the Election Commission to determine whether to hold by-elections.
The political changes culminated in the resignation of Mohd Shukri as Mentri Besar on December 26, citing health reasons.
He was succeeded by Abu Bakar Hamzah from Bersatu on December 28, completing the transition in state leadership.
Rus'sele’s announcement underscores a rare instance in Malaysian state politics where constitutional provisions were invoked to bypass the typical by-election process following a political realignment, leaving the seats vacant yet avoiding the immediate logistical and electoral requirements of holding polls. - December 31, 2025