Kinabatangan, Lamag By-elections: 48,526 Voters Set To Cast Ballots Tomorrow
KINABATANGAN, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- A total of 48,526 voters are set to cast their ballots for a new Member of Parliament in the Kinabatangan by-election, while 13,703 voters will go to the polls for the Lamag state seat tomorrow.
All 36 polling centres, comprising 117 polling stations, will be open from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm, except for 25 centres, which will close earlier, between noon and 5 pm.
All 25 early-closing polling centres include Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Inarad and SK Sri Ganda, which will close at noon, followed by SK Kuamut, SK Masaum, SK Sangau, SK Tundun Bohangin, SK Litang, and SK Ladang Tomanggong, which will close at 1 pm.
Polling centres at SK Keramuak, SK Sungai Lokan, Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Balat Kinabatangan, SK Bilit, and SK Abai will close at 2 pm, while SK Penangah, SK Minusuh, SK Saguon, SK Tanjong Aru, SK Tanjong Batu, and SK Mumiang will close at 3 pm.
SK Pulau Lubukan is the only polling centre to close at 4 pm, followed by SK Menanam, SK Sogo-Sogo, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Entilibon, SK Pekan Tongod, and SK Batu Puteh, which will close at 5 pm.
The voting process for the Member of Parliament and state assemblyman concludes after the last 11 polling centres close at 5.30 pm. These include SK Buang Sayang, SK Bukit Garam, SMK Bukit Garam, SMK Bukit Garam II, SK Bukit Garam II, SK Kota Kinabatangan, SK Rancangan Suan Lamba, Kampung Gomantong Jaya multipurpose hall, SK Paris, SMK Paris, and SK Sukau.
The Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency comprises three state seats: Sukau, Lamag, and Kuamut. Vote counting will take place at the official tallying centre in Dewan Sri Lamag.
Last Tuesday, the Election Commission (EC) reported that 93 per cent, or 176 police personnel, had cast their early votes for both by-elections.
The campaigns for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections entered their final day today and will end at 11.59 pm.
The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election features a three-way contest between Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar representing Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman (Warisan), and independent candidate Goldam Hamid. Meanwhile, the Lamag state seat sees a straight fight between Mohd Ismail Ayob (BN) and Mazliwati Abdul Malek (Warisan).
The by-election was held following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, 66, on Dec 5 last year.
All five candidates are set to cast their votes in the by-elections, with Mohd Kurniawan Naim voting at SK Bilit, Saddi at SK Batu Puteh, Goldam at SK Pekan Tongod, Mohd Ismail at SK Bukit Garam II, and Mazliwati at SK Buang Sayang.
In the 15th General Election (GE15), Bung Moktar retained the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat with a majority of 4,330 votes, defeating his challenger, Mazliwati from Warisan.
Bung Moktar also secured victory in the five-way contest for the Lamag state seat in the Sabah State Election on Nov 29 last year, winning by a majority of 153 votes.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has forecast fair weather for tomorrow morning, with thunderstorms expected in the afternoon and rain in the evening.
-- BERNAMA
