This will be the first time NGO observers would be allowed into the polling stations, said acting Bersih 2.0 chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari.

He said the observers would be divided among the 19 polling stations.

“Areas the observers would be allowed into will include the voting and counting stations and nomination centre.

“This is the first time we have been invited to have an open discussion with the Election Commission’s (EC) representatives to discuss about the election processes.

“It is a big step forward for both the civil society and EC itself. Before this, we only ‘speak’ to them via the press. Responses only ever came in the form of statements,” Shahrul said.

Although a request by Bersih to place 109 observers was rejected, he said this was acceptable as other NGOs might be sending their observers as well.

“The EC told us that they are only able to allow 38 observers from Bersih as they needed to cater to other NGOs.

“If needed, we may work something out with the other NGOs such as IDEAS and Invoke in order to achieve the best representation in each polling station,” he said.

When asked about the conditions set by the EC, Shahrul said, observers would not be allowed to make public statements while the voting process was underway.

“This is to ensure that voters would not feel intimidated or pressured during the voting process.

“The terms have yet to be finalised, and we will ensure that they do not restrict our observations.”

Shahrul said observers would also be allowed to interview polling station officials.

This will be the first by-election under the new Pakatan Harapan government.

The Sungai Kandis seat fell vacant following the death of PKR assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafie on July 2 due to lymphatic cancer

Bersih: Let Sungai Kandis by-election be benchmark for future polls