PUTRAJAYA • Malaysia's King has ordered the country's new electoral boundaries, approved by Parliament on Wednesday, to come into effect from yesterday.

A Federal Government Gazette posted yesterday and signed by Cabinet Secretary Ali Hamsa stated that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had made the order.

The notice said the recommendations contained in the report of the Election Commission (EC) dated March 6, 2018, shall have effect from the date of the coming into operation of the order. When contacted, Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali confirmed that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had given his royal assent and that the redelineation has been gazetted.

The redrawn boundaries, which affect more than a third of Malaysia's parliamentary seats, were passed amid vociferous charges of gerrymandering by the opposition.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal dismissed the Selangor government's appeal against the EC's redelineation exercise which critics say will help Prime Minister Najib Razak cruise to a victory in a general election likely to be called within weeks. The three member-panel ruled yesterday that the court had no jurisdiction to decide on the redelineation and the electoral roll. But the Selangor government had the legal standing to initiate the judicial review and were right in questioning the redelineation process, said the panel.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS