Mahkota by-election early voting concludes, polling centres closed at 5 PM

KLUANG: Early voting for the Mahkota state assembly by-election concluded at 5 pm with the closing of three polling stations.

They were Dewan Mahkota at Kem Mahkota, Dewan Pengaman Zamrud at the Kluang District police headquarters housing complex, and Sekolah Kebangsaan Sultan Sir Ibrahim.

Based on the Election Commission (EC) data, the Mahkota constituency, located within the Kluang parliamentary area, has 66,318 registered voters. The early voting involves 4,510 military personnel and their spouses, as well as 401 police officers.

In a statement today, the EC reported that 93.17 percent of early voters had cast their ballots as of 3 pm.

The weather was favourable during the morning, while there was a drizzle in the afternoon. EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun was seen overseeing the process.

The Mahkota by-election is a straight contest between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, with 20 polling stations set to open this Saturday.

It is being held following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, 63, on Aug 2 while she was receiving treatment at the Enche' Besar Hajjah Khalsom Hospital.

-- BERNAMA