GEORGE TOWN, June 26 — Penang police, as of today, have approved a total of 25 permits for ceramah or political talks, mobile campaigns and walkabouts by political parties participating in the Sungai Bakap state by-election.

Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said 15 were for ceramah, followed by walkabouts (six) and mobile campaigns (four), with no applications rejected so far.

"Fourteen permits were granted to Pakatan Harapan (PH), while the remaining were allocated to Perikatan Nasional (PN),” he told a press conference at the Penang Police Contingent Headquarters today.

Hamzah expressed satisfaction with the smooth progress of the by-election campaign to date, noting no reports of misconduct or violations of the law.

The by-election on July 6 will witness a straight fight between PH candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin and PN’s Abidin Ismail, following the demise of the incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24 due to stomach inflammation. — Bernama