Tuaran MP: Eight-year boundary review period to be written into Federal Constitution

KOTA KINABALU (March 7): The eight-year period for reviewing parliamentary and state constituency boundaries should be explicitly stated in the Federal Constitution to avoid legal confusion, said Tuaran MP Madius Tangau.

He noted that the current constitutional provisions do not clearly spell out the timeframe for such reviews.

“The provision should be clearly written into the Constitution so there will be no confusion in the future about how long must pass before a boundary review can be carried out,” he said in a statement.

In a written question during a Dewan Rakyat sitting recently, Madius asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when the government plans to increase the number of parliamentary and state assembly seats nationwide, and whether Sabah and Sarawak would be given priority.

In a written reply, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said said the Election Commission (EC) is responsible for carrying out electoral boundary reviews under Article 113(2) of the Federal Constitution, in accordance with the rules set out in the 13th Schedule.

She explained that a review of existing electoral boundaries can only be conducted after eight years, or if there is a legal amendment involving the number of members in the Dewan Rakyat or a State Legislative Assembly.

Azalina said the eight-year period for Sarawak ended on Aug 21, 2023, and the EC is now finalising its recommendations before moving to the next steps required under the Constitution.

The review will also take into account the addition of 17 new state assembly seats in Sarawak, which were approved by the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly on July 7, 2025, and came into force on Aug 8, 2025.

For Sabah, the eight-year period ended on Feb 21, 2025. However, the EC has yet to decide whether to start the review, as the 17th Sabah state election was only recently concluded.

Meanwhile, for states in Peninsular Malaysia, the eight-year period since the last boundary review will end on March 9, 2026.

Any decision on a new review will be made by the EC after that date.