NIBONG TEBAL, July 6 — Nine polling centres with 65 voting streams opened simultaneously at 8am today for the Sungai Bakap by-election.
They are at SMK Tasek, SJKC Boon Beng, SMK Bandar Tasek Mutiara, SK Seri Tasek, SK Sungai Duri, SMK Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, SK Sungai Bakap, SK Jawi and SK Sungai Kechil.
All polling centres will close at 6pm. Votes will be tallied at the Jawi Multipurpose Hall, Taman Desa Jawi, here.
The Election Commission appointed 552 officers for the by-election, and 800 policemen have been deployed.
The by-election is a straight fight between Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin and Nibong Tebal PAS vice-chief Abidin Ismail, who is contesting on a Perikatan Nasional ticket.
Joohari will not be voting as he is a voter under Sungai Acheh, one of three seats in the Nibong Tebal parliamentary constituency, while Abidin will vote at the SK Sungai Duri polling centre.
The seat fell vacant after the death of incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24 due to stomach inflammation.
A total of 39,279 voters, including 57 police personnel, are eligible to vote in the by-election. No early voting was held for this by-election as the 57 early voters opted to cast postal ballots.
In the Penang election last August, Nor Zamri, who was also Nibong Tebal PAS chief, defeated Harapan candidate Nurhidayah Che Rose by 1,563 votes.
— Bernama
