Bersih defends EC, says resignation call undemocratic

Bersih has come to Election Commission and its chief Azhar Harun's defence amid a call for him to resign.

The call was made by former EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, who said that Azhar (above) and the other EC commissioners should resign as they were pro-Pakatan Harapan activists in the past.

"His (Wan Ahmad's) proposal for the EC to resign along with the prime minister was not only an attack on the EC's integrity, but also an attack on the Federal Constitution and our democracy," Bersih said.

The group said the EC chief and commissioners can only be removed by the Agong or through a tribunal.

"Wan Ahmad's call for Azhar and other commissioners to resign is illogical as if our chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat is similarly urged to resign, just because Dr Mahathir Mohamd who proposed all their names for the appointment by the Agong has resigned," they added.

Previously after 2018 general election, Bersih had called on then-EC chief Mohd Hashim Abdullah and other commissioners to be suspended on the grounds of having “lost public confidence” and being complicit in “electoral malpractices".

They said then that a tribunal should be set up to remove them.

After Hashim (above) resigned, Bersih also demanded that the other remaining BN-era commissioners resign.

In their statement today, Bersih said the current EC had not committed any misconduct that violates the Federal Constitution or principles of free and fair elections.

"Instead, the EC has introduced many reforms to the conduct of elections and commendably responded to election-related issues, amongst others," they said.

The call for the EC to resign was following the resignation of Tommy Thomas as attorney-general. Latheefa Koya has also resigned as MACC chief.

The Harapan-administration appointees quit after Mahathir himself quit as prime minister last week amid a political crisis.