Nenggiri Voters To Elect New State Assemblyman Tomorrow

GUA MUSANG, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Voters in Nenggiri will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new state assemblyman, following the conclusion of a 14-day campaign period.

According to the Election Commission (EC), 20,259 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this by-election.

A total of 20 polling centres with 46 voting streams will open simultaneously at 8 am. Of these, 14 polling centres will close at 6 pm, while six will close earlier due to a smaller number of voters.

Among the centres closing early, four -- Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tohoi, Pusat Pendidikan Komuniti Pos Gob, SK Sri Permai, and SK Kuala Sungai -- will close at 2 pm, while two -- Dewan Orang Ramai Pos Simpor and SK Pulat -- will close at 3 pm.

Vote tallying will take place at Dewan Perdana, Kompleks Perdana, Gua Musang District Council, with the EC expecting to announce the results as early as 9 pm tomorrow.

According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department's website, clear weather is predicted throughout the voting hours.

The by-election is a straight fight between Barisan Nasional's (BN) Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani and PAS candidate Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, both of whom will cast their votes at Tabika Sri Bakawali, Bertam Lama.

Nenggiri is one of three state seats under the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency. The 235,300-hectare area of Nenggiri is almost twice the size of Melaka.

According to EC statistics, out of the 20,259 registered voters, 14 police personnel have voted by post, and no early voting centres were opened. A total of 43 postal ballots were issued on Aug 5 to eligible individuals.

A total of 431 EC staff and 995 police officers will be on duty to facilitate the voting process.

Kelantan State Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the seat vacant on June 19 after he was informed that its assemblyman, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, had ceased to be a member of Bersatu on June 13.

In the 15th Kelantan state election in August last year, Mohd Azizi defeated BN candidate Ab Aziz Yussof by a majority of 810 votes.

This is the ninth by-election since the 15th general election, following previous by-elections in Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu); Simpang Jeram and Pulai (Johor); Pelangai (Pahang); Jepak (Sarawak); Kemaman (Terengganu); Kuala Kubu Baharu (Selangor); and Sungai Bakap (Penang).

-- BERNAMA