KOTA BARU, March 22 — Monitoring by the Elections Commission (EC) shows a 10 per cent turnout of voters every hour for polling in the Chempaka state by-election in Kelantan.
EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said that as of noon, 7,915 or 38.82 per cent of the 20,390 voters had cast their ballots. The polling centres opened at 8am.
“Should this trend continue up to evening (5pm), the percentage of voter turnout could be high and reach the targeted 70 per cent.
“If the trend changes, the percentage of voter turnout could drop,” he told reporters after a visit to the polling centre at Sekolah Menengah Agama Tengku Amalin A’ishah Putri here.
EC deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hashim Abdullah and EC secretary Abdul Ghani Salleh accompanied Aziz on the visit.
Aziz had also visited two other polling centres, at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pengkalan Chepa I and Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Chempaka.
Replying to a question, Aziz said he expected the result of the by-election to be announced at 9.30pm.
Meanwhile, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said he was satisfied with the polling.
“Many voters chose to exercise their right in the morning,” he told reporters after a visit to the polling centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sabak here.
The by-election is a five-cornered contest among a PAS candidate, Ahmad Fathan Mahmood alias Mahamad, 42, who is the Ulama Affairs chief in the constituency, and four independent candidates.
The independent candidates are former lecturer Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary, 48; former Kelantan Perkasa vice-president Sharif Mahmood, 59; Pertubuhan Keturunan Paduka Raja Cik Siti Wan Kembang president Fadzillah Hussin, 55, and businessman Aslah Mamat, 64.
The by-election has been necessitated by the death of the assemblyman, PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan menteri besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat on Feb 12 at the age of 84.
Early voting was held on March 18 for 1,497 soldiers and their spouses. The turnout was 530 or 35.4 per cent.
The Barisan Nasional has opted out of the by-election, choosing to focus instead on the massive rehabilitation work after Kelantan was hit by extraordinary floods in December last year. — Bernama
