Kinabatangan, Lamag By-elections: Polling On Jan 24, Nomination On Jan 10 - EC
PUTRAJAYA, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- The Election Commission (EC) has set Jan 24, 2026 as the polling day for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections in Sabah.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun today announced that the nomination day and early voting for the by-elections are scheduled for Jan 10 and Jan 20, respectively.
He said this at a press conference after chairing a special meeting at Menara SPR here to discuss important dates for the by-elections.
The seats became vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on Dec 5.
Ramlan further said the electoral roll for the by-elections comprises 48,722 voters, including 48,526 ordinary voters and 196 police personnel.
He added that the budget for the by-elections is RM10 million.
In the 17th Sabah State Election on Nov 29, Bung Moktar, 66, retained the Lamag seat with a majority of 153 votes in a six-cornered contest.
The Lamag state seat was contested for the first time during the 16th Sabah State Election in 2020.
In the 10th General Election in November 1999, Bung Moktar won the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and served as the Member of Parliament for the area for six terms.
According to Ramlan, the campaign period for the by-elections is 14 days, starting after the declaration of candidates on Jan 10 until 11.59 pm on Jan 23.
He also said that applications for all categories of overseas and domestic postal voting for the by-elections opened online today.
The deadline for postal voting applications is Jan 8 for Category 1A voters (election workers, EC members or officers, police, military personnel and media), and Jan 6 for Category 1B voters (Malaysian citizens residing overseas) and Category 1C voters (agencies or organisations).
Ramlan said the EC has appointed one returning officer, assisted by eight assistant returning officers, to manage the by-election, with Dewan Sri Lamag, Kinabatangan, designated as the nomination centre and official vote-tallying centre. A total of 1,106 personnel have been appointed for the process.
“Some 36 regular polling centres with 117 polling stations or channels, as well as one early voting centre with a single voting station or channel, will be used,” he added.
The EC advised prospective candidates to verify their nomination forms and pay their deposits early, adding that completed nomination papers must be submitted at the designated nomination centre.
The commission is also offering government agencies, non-governmental organisations or interested bodies to become election observers to monitor the process from nomination day until the announcement of results.
Electors can check their voting information via the EC portal, hotline or application, while information and application forms for observers can be obtained from www.spr.gov.my from today until Dec 31.
-- BERNAMA
