With the retirement of commission chairman Datuk Omar Mohamed Hashim tomorrow and the new chairman yet to be named, certain decisions such as the fixing of dates for the election writ, nomination day notice, campaigning period and polling day may be delayed.

Omar said yesterday he had received the notice on the vacancy for the Lunas state seat but said: "We will not be able to move fast in this direction because of the changes."

"Even the new commission chairman has yet to be named," he said, adding that he expected the new chairman to "settle down" first before acting on the election process.

There are matters which we simply cannot rush over. There are implications which can affect us as an independent body," he said, adding that it was not unusual to hold the by-election during the fasting month as it had been done in Sabah before.