"The Election Commission, in having to comply with the wishes of the Prime Minister not to allow the 680,000 new voters to vote...has brought shame and infamy to Malaysia in dragging out the voters' registration exercise," said Lim Kit Siang, secretary general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Karpal Singh, a lawyer and DAP deputy chairman, filed the suit at the high court on behalf of economics professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram. "We are applying for a declaration that the 10th general election cannot be lawfully held without the inclusion of the 680,000 new voters who registered in April or May," Karpal told reporters. He said he would apply for a "certificate of urgency for the matter to be heard as soon as possible well before polling day."

In theevent that the suit was heard after the polls, Karpal said, "If we succeed in the end, it means that the elections will still be void." The Election Commission says it will not be able to check and process names of new voters to include them on the electoral roll until next January.