Over 600 election offences recorded in Sabah, EC chair says

 

SABAH POLLS | The Election Commission (EC) has recorded 603 election offences as of last night, as voting continues today across Sabah.

EC chairperson Ramlan Harun said the number includes 81 offences which had been reported to the police and five to the MACC.

“The rest are minor offences under the EC’s purview, such as campaign materials and posters.

“Those have already been acted on, including taking down materials that do not meet requirements,” he said when met by reporters at the Kawang Primary School in Papar today.

He added that the violations were reported statewide, reflecting the intensity of the 17th Sabah election.

Turnout reaches 45pct at 1pm

Ramlan said all 882 polling stations opened on schedule at 7.30am despite rain in several districts, which did little to deter early voters.

By 1pm, voter turnout stood at 45.5 percent.

The EC maintained its turnout projection of around 60 percent, lower than the 65 percent recorded previously.

“We are a bit concerned about heavy rain affecting the turnout if it continues, but we hope the weather stays clear throughout the afternoon,” he said.

Full results by midnight

Ramlan said the first set of election results should arrive by 10pm, with the EC targeting all results latest by 12am.

He said the commission had strengthened logistics in hard-to-reach areas, especially on islands and at interior polling districts where difficult terrain previously delayed the transport of ballot boxes.

“A total of 85 polling stations, mostly on islands or in remote locations, will close early at around 12pm because they have fewer than 100 voters each and are close to the nearest settlements.

“We have deployed helicopter services to these 85 locations, so we do not anticipate delays. We have learnt from experience and do not expect the previous constraints to recur,” he said.

Counting process remains transparent

Asked about safeguards during vote counting, Ramlan stressed that all counting would take place at polling centres in the presence of party agents.

“We will ensure every agent is present and satisfied with the process. We will only confirm the result once the agents sign off.

“If they do not sign, we will not treat the count as final,” he said.

Some 1.78 million registered voters are eligible to vote in the Sabah election today. - Mkini