NENGGIRI BN CANDIDATE TO BE ANNOUNCED EARLIER

KUALA NERUS, July 13 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Nenggiri state by-election will be announced earlier.

BN chairman cum UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party's Political Bureau has identified one of the three candidates shortlisted by Kelantan UMNO who will contest in the by-election later.

"The Political Bureau has made a decision and we are submitting the name (of the selected candidate) to Datuk Ahmad Jazlan (Kelantan Umno Liaison chairman) to make a preliminary announcement," he told reporters after officiating the Kuala Nerus UMNO Division Delegates Meeting in here today.

While revealing the candidate who has been selected is a man, Ahmad Zahid said he would leave it to Ahmad Jazlan to determine when the candidate's name will be announced.

Yesterday Ahmad Jazlan said his party proposed to announce the candidate for the Nenggiri state by-election earlier to give the candidate space to meet voters in the area.

The Election Commission (EC) has set the Nenggiri state by-election polling day on August 17, while the dates of candidate nomination and early voting for the by-election have been set for August 3 and 13 respectively.

Earlier, Kelantan Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah confirmed that the state assembly seat was vacant with effect from June 19 following the incumbent Mohd Azizi Abu Naim's removal from Bersatu membership when he expressed support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

-- BERNAMA