Malaysian opposition files suit against EC over election fraud

Malaysia's opposition alliance today filed a suit against the country's Election Commission, claiming fraud over the use of the indelible ink during the May 5 general elections in which the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional party secured victory.
In their suit, the eight plaintiffs were the three opposition parties PAS, PKR and DAP and election candidates Dzulkefly Ahmad, M Manogaran, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Arifin Abd Rahman and R Abbo.
They named seven defendants, with the first two being Election Commission (EC) chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and his deputy Wan Ahmad Wan Omar. The remaining defendants are members of the EC.

The opposition has claimed that the EC had "maliciously and dishonestly planned, designed, implemented and practised a massive fraud on the electorate of Malaysia" by willfully and deliberately allowing the indelible ink to be so diluted that it could easily be washed off so that dishonest voters could undertake multiple voting.
They claimed that the EC, which should be independent and impartial, must refrain from showing preference to any party.
The Opposition has alleged that the EC had "consistently adopted a partisan role, always favouring the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional."
The opposition also wants a declaration that the EC maliciously and dishonestly practised fraud on the electorate of Malaysia, an order that the defendants be removed as members of the EC and an order for a newly constituted EC conduct fresh general elections.

In the May 5 elections, Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled the country for almost 56 years, took a simple majority with 133 seats in the 222-member Parliament, 21 more than the threshold required to form a government.