Bersih has backed the appointment of lawyer Azhar Azizan @ Harun as the new Election Commission chairperson, even though it does not comply with Pakatan Harapan's election manifesto.

In a statement today, the electoral reform group acknowledged that appointing Azhar by first going through Parliament would require a constitutional amendment.

"Azhar is a senior lawyer who has a lot of experience and expertise in dealing with election cases.

"He fulfils the criteria outlined by Bersih on integrity, impartiality and independence with proven knowledge, experience and expertise on the electoral system," it said.

The group added that Azhar's appointment could not wait as electoral reforms were needed in light of the three by-elections that have already occurred since May, and the fourth – for the parliamentary seat of Port Dickson – scheduled for October.

"Bersih therefore calls on the other six commissioners to be replaced immediately for their failure to uphold and defend the principles of clean, free and fair elections in the 14th general election.

"Once the six current commissioners are also replaced, a new appointment process of EC commissioners should be put in place to ensure transparency and accountability," it added.

The new appointment process it proposed includes establishing a commissioner nomination committee, consisting of representatives from all three branches of government, statutory bodies and NGOs.

Azhar, better known as Art Harun, was appointed the new EC chief yesterday.

He replaces Mohd Hashim Abdullah, who opted for early retirement in July.

The EC had come under heavy criticism for its handling of the past elections under the BN administration, including allegations of bias and its last redelineation exercise, which critics say involved gerrymandering to benefit the then-ruling government in GE14.