SEREMBAN: Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan plans on defending the Rantau state seat should a by-election be held.
This, after the Special Election Court, here, ruled his unopposed victory for the seat in the 14th General Election (GE14) as null and void.
Mohamad, or Tok Mat as he is more commonly known as, informed that he has 14 days to appeal the decision.
Elaborating on defending his seat, Mohamad however remarked that it would all depend on a decision by the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership who would discuss the matter soon.
Earlier, Mohamad who was the first respondent in a petition filed by Dr S Streram said he would discuss with his team of lawyers on the need to file an appeal against the decision handed down today.
He remarked that he respected the court's decision in declaring his win as null and void.
"I will discuss with my lawyers on my next course of action, whether to appeal or not," he told reporters when met outside the courthouse, here, today.
"To defend my position, I should contest. But it is up to the party and the leadership to decide on the best candidate," he said.
On April 28, the Election Commission (EC) declared Mohamad as Rantau assemblyman, in an unopposed win.
Streram who was supposed to have filed his papers to challenge Mohamad in GE14 was denied entry into the nomination hall for not having an EC pass.
Following that, Streram filed a petition on May 23 to challenge the EC's declaration of Mohamad's win.
Streram, 63, named Mohamad as the first respondent in his petition, followed by EC returning officer Amino Agus as the second respondent and the commission itself as the third respondent.
It was alleged that Amino had denied Streram entry into the nomination hall because he did not have an EC candidate's pass.
Following Streram's petition, Mohamad filed a motion to strike out Streram's petition on June 25.
After hearing arguments from Streram's lawyers as well as Mohamad's lawyers and 19 witnesses over 12 days, Judge Datuk Azimah Omar today ruled that a by-election is to be held soon in Rantau.
Mohamad who stood for the Rantau seat since GE11 in 2004 defended the seat in 2008 and 2013.