- KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Malaysians have filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing election authorities to extend voting rights to nearly 1 million citizens living overseas.
Rights activists have long criticized restrictions that prevent most Malaysians abroad from casting ballots. Exceptions include government workers, military personnel and full-time students.
The Election Commission recently announced plans to extend voting rights at an unspecified time.
A group of Malaysians called “My Overseas Vote” said in a statement Monday that six citizens working in the United Kingdom have asked the Kuala Lumpur High Court to force the Election Commission to register them as voters before the next general elections, widely expected by mid-2012.
Commission officials had no immediate comment.
