Kajang by-election: Counting of votes starts, results by 9pm

(The Star) – All 16 polling stations for the by-election here closed at 5pm Sunday.

As at 4pm, the Election Commission registered a 67.04 percent voter turnout. In the May 5 general election, voter turnout was 87.9 percent.

EC officers are now bringing all the ballot boxes to the counting centre in Kajang Municipal Council Sports Complex in Section 15, Bandar Baru Bangi.

The official result is expected to be announced at 9pm.

Sungai Chua was among the polling centres packed with supporters of both sides right until the last minute.

A police officer on duty said the area had been calm the whole day.

Ho Yoke Kong, 52, was among the late voters who dropped by the polling booth after work.

“It’s a 50-50 fight, I really cannot predict the outcome,” he said.

Stragglers were cheered on by party supports as they quickly made their way into SJKC Sungai Chua to cast their ballot.

It was the second time that 25-year-old Eivonne Kwan is voting after the May 5 general election last year.

“I think that this by-election is more festive than GE13, because the attention is on Kajang,” said Kwan.

“It is definitely a controversial by-election. But I’m here to vote because I feel it’s my duty to do so,” she said.

Kwan said that both candidates “seem like very nice ladies.”

“May the best candidate win and may they work hard for Kajang,” said Kwan.

Kajang by-election sees a straight fight between Barisan Nasional candidate Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail.

The Kajang state seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent assemblymen Lee Chin Cheh of PKR on Jan 27.

The state seat comprises 38,965 registered voters. It has 48% Malay voters, Chinese 41%, Indian 10% and others 1%.

In the 2013 general election PKR’s Lee garnered 19,571 votes followed by Lee Ban Seng (Barisan Nasional-MCA) with 12,747 votes and Mohamad Ismail (Berjasa) 1,014 votes.

The three independent candidates who contested the seat are Mohd Iwan Jefrey Abdul Majib (249 votes), Ong Yan Foo (85 votes) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83 votes).

Lee won the seat with a comfortable 6,824 vote majority.