PETALING JAYA, Jun 18 – Polling closed at 5pm today in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar parliamentary by-elections. In SUNGAI BESAR, all the 28 polling centres had opened at 8am. A spokesman of the Election Commission said the tallying of votes would be conducted at the Dewan Seri Bernam after the votes had been counted at the polling centres.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hashim Abdullah had said that a 75% voter turnout was anticipated compared to the 88.30% in the 13th general election in 2013. Fine weather today enabled polling to proceed smoothly. A total of 42,365 voters were eligible to vote in the by-election, 286 of them early voters. Of the early voters, 265 voted on June 14.
Meanwhile in KUALA KANGSAR, returning officer Mior Muhammad Jamil Mior Zakaria said the counting of votes had begun at the polling centres. He said after the counting has been completed, the ballot boxes will be taken to the vote-tallying centre at the Silver Jubilee Hall.
In the meantime, the results of both the by-elections are expected to be announced by 9pm. The Sungai Besar by-election was a three-cornered contest among the Budiman Mohd Zohdi of BN, Dr Abdul Rani Osman of PAS and Azhar Abdul Shukur of Amanah.
In Kuala Kangsar, it was a four-cornered fight among Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar’s widow Datin Mastura Mohd Yazid of Barisan Nasional, Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad of PAS, Prof Dr Ahmad Termizi Ramli of Amanah and Independent candidate Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary. — Bernama
