Soldiers, policemen begin casting postal votes

(Bernama) — Postal voting began in the Bagan Pinang state by-election today at two centres here for the soldiers and policemen.

The soldiers cast their votes at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pusasda) while the policemen at the Port Dickson Police District Headquarters (IPD).

Polling, which began at 8am, was reported to be smooth.

Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar witnessed the voting process at Pusasda where about 2,000 soldiers at the camp were expected to cast their votes.

“Polling at Pusasda is conducted by the army and witnessed by agents of contending candidates,” he said, adding that the agents were satisfied with the process.

“Polling at Pusasda will stop at 5pm and in the event there are still soldiers who could not vote today, we will continue the process tomorrow and event the following day,” he told Bernama.

He said ballot papers had also been sent to soldiers living outside the camp yesterday.

The are 4,604 postal voters in Bagan Pinang, of which 4,571 are soldiers, 31 policemen and two voters, who are working overseas.

The constituency has 13,664 voters including 9,060 ordinary voters.

The postal ballot bags must reach the returning officer’s office by 5pm on Sunday and votes that arrived after that will not be counted.

In another development, Wan Ahmad denied that an allegation by PAS that there was duplication in the Bagan Pinang electoral roll.

“We had checked the electoral roll against the list handed to us by PAS yesterday.

“Maybe the duplication was found in the public list outside Bagan Pinang constituency. We will check on that after the by-election,” he added.

Former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad of the BN is pitted against PAS state commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar in the by-election on Sunday.