Balakong gets 21-day campaign time

PUTRAJAYA: The Balakong by-election will see for the first time the campaign period stretched to 21 days.

This is a week more than the usual two weeks campaign period set for nearly all previous by-elections. The campaign period for the on-going Sungai Kandis by-election was set for 14 days.

No specific reason was given by the Election Commission (EC) for the longer-than-usual campaign period.

EC deputy chairman Tan Sri Othman Mahmood only said the minimum campaign period for an election was 11 days.

.He said nomination is on Aug 18. The by-election will be on Sept 8. Early voting is on Sept 4.

The electoral roll to be used for this by-election is the first quarter of 2018, which is updated until July 20.

The electoral roll contains 62,219 registered voters comprising 62,160 ordinary voters; 31 early voters and 28 overseas voters, he told reporters after a special meeting on the by-election at the EC headquarters here yesterday

The main hall of the Hulu Langat district office will be used as nomination and the official vote tallying centre, said Othman.

He added Hulu Langat District Officer Datuk Rosli Othman has been appointed as the returning officer. He is backed by three assistants and 998 personnel.

Othman said the by-election is estimated to cost RM1.5mil.

The Balakong state seat fell vacant following the death of its assemblyman Ng Tien Chee in an accident at KM11.7 of the Grand Saga Highway on July 20.

In the 14th General Election, Ng retained the seat for the second term after defeating Lim Chin Wah from Barisan Nasional and Mohamad Ibrahim Ghazali of PAS with a 35,538-vote majority.- Star