The independent body has also recommended that the number of parliamentary and state constituencies in the peninsula remain unchanged.
For the 14th general election (GE14), the number of parliamentary constituencies for the whole country remains at 222 and the number of state constituencies at 587.
GE14, however, will not see state elections in Sarawak which has 82 state constituencies. Sarawak held its state elections on May 7, 2016.
The Review of Electoral Boundaries covered all the states in the peninsula as well as the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan. The report was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The proposed change of name for constituencies involves amending the old form of spelling to the new, and amendments such as the Serdang parliamentary seat now being known as Bangi; Kelana Jaya as Subang; Petaling Jaya Utara as Damansara; and Gelang Patah as Iskandar Puteri.
The review of the electoral boundaries is in accordance with Article 113 of the Federal Constitution and based on the principles and rules of review of electoral boundaries provided for in the constitution.
The last review of electoral boundaries was in 2003. According to the Federal Constitution, a review is necessary at least once in eight years.
According to the report, the criteria for review were based on the geographical and topographical conditions of the constituencies; level of development; demographical conditions; density of population and number of voters; as well as basic infrastructure facilities such as roads and communication systems.
Local investigations were conducted on 600 of the 1,685 representations received.
The objections raised included those pertaining to the transfer of polling districts from one place to another, as well as on the gap in the number of voters.
The EC has both accepted and dismissed representations on the objections, saying the review was necessary to maintain local community relations and reduce the gap between the number of voters among constituencies.
The review of the electoral boundaries, carried out since Sept 15, 2016, was conducted in a transparent manner through the process of notice on the review, display, recommendations, representations and local investigations, said the report.
It added that the total number of registered voters in Peninsular Malaysia is 11,379,352, based on the electoral rolls verified and gazetted on May 13, 2016, and Sept 6, 2016.