KOTA KINABALU, Nov 15 — All 25 nomination centres for the 17th Sabah State Election were closed at 10 am today, after being open for an hour from 9 am.
The announcement was made by the respective returning officers at each nomination centre.
Earlier, all candidates vying for the 73 state seats were given an hour to submit their nomination forms, after which the returning officers will announce the list of eligible candidates.
Once verification is complete, candidates may begin their 14-day campaign, which ends at 11.59pm on November 28, as set by the Election Commission (EC).
The EC said that as of Thursday, a total of 3,334 nomination forms for the 17th Sabah State Election had been sold, with 2,414 being sold by the Sabah State Election Office and 920 via returning officers’ offices.
A Bernama check found supporters gathering at several nomination centres as early as 6am to show their support for the candidates.
The police, assisted by members of the Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department (Rela), were seen managing traffic and supervising the areas around the nomination centres to prevent any untoward incidents.
Most areas reported favourable weather this morning, despite the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) predicting rain in several locations yesterday.
According to EC, 1,784,843 electors are eligible to cast their ballots, including 1,760,417 regular electors, 11,697 military personnel and spouses, and 12,729 police personnel and spouses.
The EC has set November 25 for early voting and November 29 as polling day.
