Polling begins in Bagan Pinang
Voters began streaming into polling stations at 8am for the Bagan Pinang by-election that appears to be Barisan Nasional’s to lose after Pakatan Rakyat struggled through the campaign period to get its message across in a constituency where one-third of the electorate are postal voters.
The ruling Barisan Nasional state government is fielding the popular Tan Sri Mohamed Isa Samad, who as Negri Sembilan mentri besar for 22 years, brought development to the seaside resort town dominated by a large army base. The dimunitive leader is making a comeback after a three-year party suspension for vote-buying.
Pakatan Rakyat, which has won seven by-elections in a row in the peninsula, is likely to face its first-ever defeat despite fielding PAS Negri Sembilan commissioner Zulkefly Mohammad Omar as its ground network is weak and national issues have little traction in the coastal town.
The Election Commission (EC) has opened eight polling centres with 18 polling streams for the 9,060 registered normal voters while another 4,604 have cast their ballots through the post last Thursday and Friday. PAS has claimed that most of the postal voters are actually retired servicemen but the EC says the onus is on the ex-soldiers to re-register as normal voters.
Voting begins at 8am and ends at 5pm and with a weather forecast of rain, the EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof has appealed to voters to turn up early. He also expected the results to be announced by 8pm tonight.
“If all goes well, we should be able to know the result between 7.15pm and 7.30pm. But it’s better we announce it after the Maghrib (evening) prayers at 8pm when the supporters of both parties will be present,” he told reporters after visiting polling centres in Ladang Sua Betong here Saturday.
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