Perikatan Nasional’s Khairul Azhari Saut is optimistic that the voter turnout this time will be higher compared to the 67% recorded during last August’s Selangor state election, when the late Lee Kee Hiong won the seat for Pakatan Harapan.
“It has hardly been an hour since the polling centre opened, but it seems quite crowded here, especially at channel three. Voters keep lining up,” he said after visiting the polling centre at SK Bandar Baru Batang Kali.
“We are hoping for a higher voter turnout this time. If possible, voters should come in the morning as there might be rain later this afternoon.”
Pakatan Harapan’s Pang Sock Tao echoed her opponent’s sentiments.
“I urge voters to come out and vote early,” she said when met at the polling centre at SJKC Khing Ming.
Parti Rakyat Malaysia candidate Hafizah Zainuddin said she was surprised by the strong turnout, with crowds gathering at polling centres early in the morning.
“We thought there might be a boycott, but many voters have turned out,” she said after visiting polling centres in Ampang Pecah.
The Election Commission reported an 26% voter turnout as of 11am, two hours after polling began.
A total of 39,269 voters are eligible to cast their votes at the 18 polling centres.
All the polling centres will remain open until 6pm, except for the one at SJKC Bukit Fraser, where 40 voters are eligible to cast their votes. The centre will close at 2pm.
Senior couple travels nearly 200km to vote
A couple in their 60s travelled nearly 200km from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, to vote in Kuala Kubu Baharu, Bernama reported.
Retiree Rahim Bidin, 67, and his wife, Noraini Mansor, 65, started their two-hour journey to the polling centre at SJKC Khing Ming at 5am.
Rahim, who walks with the help of a cane, said he would drive back to Kuala Kangsar after he voted.
“I drive back and forth to vote in every election. We have been doing this for the past 10 years,” he said when met by reporters at the polling centre at SJKC Khing Ming.
Meanwhile, wheelchair-bound voter Rodznah Bakar, 61, said she came with her husband to the polling centre at 7am.
“We booked a rental car last night to take us to the polling station since my husband and I can’t drive ourselves,” she told reporters outside the polling centre at SMK Kuala Kubu Baharu.
“I would like to thank the EC staff who helped make it easier for us to vote today.”
The by-election is a four-cornered fight involving Pang, Khairul, Hafizah and independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin.
The seat fell vacant following Lee’s death on March 21 from cancer.
Last August’s state election saw DAP’s Lee defeat challengers from PN, PRM and Muda with a majority of 4,119 votes to retain the seat for the third consecutive term. - FMT
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