KUANTAN: The Pahang Election Commission (EC) has received official notification of the vacancy of the Pelangai state seat following the death of its assemblyman, Datuk Seri Johari Harun, in an aircraft crash on Aug 17.
Pahang Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin handed the notice to state EC director Datuk Zamree Hamli about 11.20am at Wisma Sri Pahang, here, today.
Zamree said they will be notifying the EC headquarters in Putrajaya on the development.
"The EC headquarters is expected to hold a special meeting this week to set the important dates for the Pelangai by-election," he said after receiving the notice from Sharkar.
The EC will have to conduct a by-election within 60 days to fill the seat.
Meanwhile, Sharkar said it is his duty to inform the Pahang EC on the vacancy of the Pelangai seat, or N. 36.
In the 15th General Election, Johari won the Pelangai state seat in a four-cornered battle. The Bentong Umno division chief won by a 4,048 majority after securing 7,308 votes. He edged
Perikatan Nasional's Kasim Samat who garnered 3,260 votes, Ahmed Wafiuddin Shamsuri of Pakatan Harapan (2,031 votes) and Isa Ahmad of Pejuang (65 votes).
Till May this year, the Pelangai state constituency has a total of 16,475 registered voters.
Johari, who is the Pahang Local Government, Housing, Environment, and Green Technology committee chairman, was killed after the aircraft he was on crashed in Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam on Aug 17.
He was travelling with seven others including two crew members in the six-seater Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) from Langkawi to Subang Airport when the ill-fated crash occurred about 2.45pm.
The crash had killed all eight people onboard and two road users. All the victims have been buried.