EC: Opposition parties free to use PKR logo

PUTRAJAYA: There is no restriction for the Pakatan Harapan candidates to use the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) logo in the 14th general election (GE14), said Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah.

He said as it was previously announced, any candidate who wished to contest under the PKR ticket and using the party symbol was subject to the consent of the party itself instead of the EC.

“But the EC wishes to remind them that for the purpose of contesting in the GE14, the political party must be a registered body and allowed to carry out all activities under the Societies Act 1966,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Mohd Hashim said that for any political party agreeing to allow potential candidates to represent them, they were required to issue a consent letter.

He added that the written permission must be signed by the party’s official in charge of allowing the candidate to use the party symbol in accordance with Regulation 11(2)(d) of the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations, 1981.

Mohd Hashim said any candidate who did not receive the written permission of the party he wanted to represent, and he was eligible to contest, the officer would provide him with an existing symbol that had been set in place.

“As long as all the conditions are complied with, the individual is eligible to represent any party that has given him the written permission,” he said.

He said there was no provision stating that only party members could represent the particular party in the general election.

Mohd Hashim said the EC would issue rules and guidelines on the use of logos and campaign materials in the near future for the benefit of all stakeholders. - Bernama