The Election Committee of BERSIH, which was formed to carry out the process for the election of a Chairperson who will lead the BERSIH Steering Committee for the term 2023 – 2025, announces that the new Chairperson of BERSIH has been elected via polling on 15 December 2023.
The polling process, which was conducted online to enable participation of endorsing NGOs of BERSIH based outside of Klang Valley, saw an active participation of endorsing NGO with the receipt of 45 ballot papers from the 61 NGOs that form the BERSIH coalition. The vote turnout is 74%.
Ballot papers were opened and votes were counted immediately after the conclusion of the polling process at 5.00pm on 15 December 2023 at BERSIH office. The process was observed by five observers of Endorsing NGOs who were physically present. For full transparency, the counting process was also live-streamed online via the Zoom application for Endorsing NGOs to observe.
| Candidate | Total Votes Received | Status |
| Muhammad Faisal bin Abdul Aziz | 23 | Elected |
| Gopalan K Papachan | 22 |
Based on the results above, the Election Committee declares Muhammad Faisal bin Abdul Aziz as the new BERSIH Chairperson for the term of 2023 – 2025.
The Election Committee congratulates the candidate who has been elected and wish him the best in exercising the responsibilities of leading BERSIH for the term 2023 – 2025. The Election Committee would also like to thank all Endorsing NGOs who helped contribute to the election process by exercising their right to vote. Finally, we send our thanks to the BERSIH Secratariat who helped carry out the election process with the highest level of professionalism, commitment and dedication.
Released by:
Stanley Yong/Anne Lasimbang/Mohammad Alshatri
Election Committee
Biodata of BERSIH Chairperson
MUHAMMAD FAISAL BIN ABDUL AZIZ is former president of the Muslim Youth Movement Malaysia (ABIM) from 2019 to 2023 and deputy chairperson of the Coalition for Clean & Fair Election (BERSIH) from 2018 to 2020. He was the former President of the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Student (PKPIM) 2009-2011.
He is an accomplished professional with an LLM from Mara Technology University and LLB and Syariah (Honours) degrees from the International Islamic University Malaysia.
Faisal has played a pivotal role in diverse projects such as the Palestinian Refugees Assessment Mission, as well as striving to build bridges and an inclusive society via the Bangsa Malaysia campaign during his tenure as ABIM president. Notably, he received a Federal Honour for his outstanding contributions. Actively engaged in several organizations, including a grassroots community initiative known as Adab Youth Garage (AYG), Faisal is also an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Alumnus, a professional exchange program aimed at emerging leaders.