Early voting begins as 319 police personnel vote to elect Padang Serai, Tioman rep for second time

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- A total of 319 police personnel who registered as early voters for the Padang Serai parliamentary election in Kedah and the Tioman state seat in Pahang will cast their votes today.

According to the Election Commission, 76 police personnel will cast their ballots at the Kulim district police headquarters multipurpose hall from 8 am to 2 pm for the Padang Serai seat.

Meanwhile, 243 police personnel will vote in the Rompin district police headquarters breakroom from 8 am to 5 pm and in the Pulau Tioman Tekek police station information room from 8 am to noon.

They had voted on Nov 15 but elections in both areas were postponed to Dec 7 following the death of candidates contesting for the respective seats, Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) M. Karupaiya in the Padang Serai seat and Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Md Yunus Ramli in the Tioman seat.

Karupaiya, 69, died on Nov 16 due to a suspected heart attack and health complications while Md Yunus, 61, died several hours before polling day on Nov 19.

Nominations for the constituencies were held on Nov 24, with early voting taking place today and polling day set for Dec 7.

The EC announced yesterday that early voters who cast their votes will have their left little finger marked with indelible ink and the voting process at several selected early voting centres will be broadcast live on the commission’s Facebook page.

The early votes will not be counted today and the ballot boxes will be kept at police stations for safekeeping and tallying will only commence at 4 pm on Dec 7 at vote tallying centres set by the EC.

There is a six-corner contest for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat between PH candidate Dr Mohamad Sofee Razak, Datuk Azman Nasrudin (PN), Datuk C. Sivaraj  (BN), Hamzah Abd Rahman (Pejuang), Mohd Bakhri Hashim (Warisan) and Sreanandha Rao (Independent).

However, Kedah BN chairman Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom announced last night that the coalition had agreed to make way for PH for the seat.

This follows Warisan’s previous announcement that it would pull out of the election, but both BN and Warisan logos will appear on ballot papers as they had been registered as contesting parties.

For the Tioman state seat, officially it will be a five-corner fight between PN candidate Nor Idayu Hashim, Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Hussain (BN), Osman A Bakar (Pejuang), Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly (PH) and Sulaiman Bakar (Independent), as the PH logo will appear on the ballot papers even with the withdrawal of PH candidate Mohd Fadzli.

During the 15th general election (GE15) on Nov 19, PH won 82 parliamentary seats, PN (73), BN (30), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (23), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (six), Warisan (three), while Parti Bangsa Malaysia and Social Democratic Harmony Party won one seat respectively. Two independents were also victorious in GE15.

-- BERNAMA