KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — The Election Commission (EC) will hold a special meeting on March 7 to discuss matters for the Ayer Kuning state by-election in Perak.

EC secretary Datuk Ikmalrudin Ishak said it was due to the casual vacancy of the seat after the passing of its incumbent Ishsam Shahruddin on February 22.

He said the commission had received an official notification regarding the vacancy from the Perak State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid.

"Per Article XXXVI (5), First Part of the Perak Constitution, the vacant seat must be filled within 60 days from the date the EC confirms the vacancy,” he said in a statement today.

A press conference will be held immediately after the special meeting.

Ishsam, 59, died due to a heart attack after participating in a football championship in Georgetown, Penang last Saturday.

He had been the Tapah Umno division chief since 2018 and won the Ayer Kuning seat in the 15th General Election in November 2022 with a 2,213-vote majority in a five-cornered contest. — Bernama