KOTA KINABALU, Nov 15 — The early voting process involving security personnel and their spouses at 53 centres in Sabah, which open at 8am, went smoothly, added with the fine weather this afternoon.

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Idris Abdullah, who went to cast his vote at the Sabah police contingent headquarters, said 9,116 police personnel and their spouses are scheduled to cast their votes at the 41 early voting centres set up in the state today.

5th Division Commander Major General Datuk Abdul Rahman A Wahab and his wife Datin Zarina Alif were the first to vote at the Lok Kawi Camp here.

There are 11,181 army personnel and their spouses who are early voters in the state and they are scheduled to vote at 12 polling centers that have been set up.

"More than 70 per cent of them are expected to turn up for voting, every army personnel must follow the stipulated schedule, they must register at respective units before and after voting,” he said.

In Sandakan, two early voting centres were opened, at Rumah Kelab Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) and the Pangkalan Pasukan Polis Marin Sandakan for the 374 police personnel and their spouses to exercise their rights.

The polling centre at Kompleks Perumahan Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) Taman Samudera, involved 283 early voters, comprising navy personnel from Markas Wilayat Laut 2 and their spouses.

In Lahad Datu, Lahad Datu district police chief ACP Rohan Shah Ahmad was among the 518 police personnel who are the early voters to cast their votes at the Lahad Datu district police headquarters.

In Semporna, there are 400 early voters comprising police personnel for the Bugaya state by-election and GE15. The early voting centre is at the Semporna district police headquarters.

There are 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah and the Bugaya state by-election is held at the same time after it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The polling day for GE15 and Bugaya by-election is on November 19. — Bernama