PETALING JAYA: There is no need to hold a by-election for the Melor state seat in Kelantan which fell vacant following the death of its assemblyman Dr Yusnan Yusof on April 30 this year, says the Election Commission (EC).

       EC secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak said there is no need for the vacancy to be filled although Kelantan was bound by the earlier Emergency Proclamation which had been enforced from Jan 11 to Aug 1.

       He said that although Article 46(5) of the Kelantan state Constitution requires that a vacant state seat is filled within 60 days from the date of its vacancy, there was no need to do so.

       He said in a statement that this was in line with Clause 3 of the state Constitution which states that there is no necessity to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy if it had occurred less than two years from the date of dissolution of the Kelantan state assembly.

       Ikmalrudin said the EC had been informed in writing by Kelantan state assembly speaker Datuk Abdullah Ya’kub that there was no necessity to hold the by-election for the Melor state seat.

       Dr Yusnan, who was a PAS state assemblyman, passed away on April 30 due to heart complications.

       He was said to have been suffering from a heart ailment since 2016.