13,233 voters head to polls for Balingian by-election

Polling for the Balingian by-election begins at 8am on Saturday with 13,233 ordinary voters to exercise their rights after 12 days of campaign.

The Election Commission (EC) has provided 21 polling centres, to be opened simultaneously at 8am, at 16 primary and secondary schools, three community halls and two long-houses.

EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said of the 21 polling centres, the centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) St Patrick Mukah, in the Kuala Lama district, has the most number of voters, totalling 1,323, and will close at 5pm.

"The polling centre at SK Kuala Kenyana Mukah, in the Kenyana district, which has the least number of voters, totalling only 152, will close at 2pm," he added.

The Balingian by-election involves a straight fight between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, former Dalat district officer Yussibnosh Balo, 48, and businessman Abdul Jalil Bujang, 55, of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Yussibnosh is a local, while Abdul Jalil hails from Bintulu.

The by-election is necessitated by the resignation of Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud when he stepped down as the chief minister. Taib is now the Yang Dipertua Negeri.

In the 2011 state election, Abdul Taib retained the seat in a three-cornered fight with a majority of 5,154 votes against Suriati Abdullah, of PKR, and Independent candidate Datuk Salleh Jafaruddin.

Yussibnosh will cast his vote at the Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Tellian Tengah Mukah, while Abdul Jalilis not voting as he is not a registered voter in Balingian.

The early voting process for the Balingian by-election was held on March 25 with 132 or 99.25 per cent of the voters turning up at the Dewan Serbaguna Ibu Pejabat Polis Mukah.

The EC expects 10,586 or 80 per cent of the voters to come out to vote on Saturday.