KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 -- Electoral watchdog Bersih has called on the government to urgently reform the appointment process for the Election Commission (EC), especially that of the chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh who is due to retire in May.

The group said implementing reforms now is crucial, since the next chairman of the EC is likely to have the responsibility of reviewing and implementing the redelineation of electoral boundaries.

"EC members should be appointed through a transparent, open, accountable, and inclusive mechanism to gain the trust of all stakeholders in ensuring the independence and autonomy of the EC, which has a constitutional responsibility to conduct elections and constituency delineation," it said in a stateme...