PEKAN, July 4 — Polling in the Chini state by-election ended at 5.30pm today.

The Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that as of 4pm, 72 per cent of the 20,816 registered voters cast their ballots at 13 polling centres that had opened since 8am.

The result will be announced by returning officer Datuk Zaliza Zulkipli in the evening at the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) near here.

The early voting process on June 30 involved 17 of 18 police personnel while 156 more have voted via post.

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The 13 polling centres were at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Mambang, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Paloh Hinai, SK Kinchir, Dewan Mempelas Kampung Baru PPSK Salong, SK LKTP Chini Timur 1, SMK Chini Timur, Balai Raya Kampung Dusun, SK LKTP Chini Timur 2, SK LKTP Chini 3 and 5, SK LKTP Chini 1 and 4, Kelas Al-Quran and Fardu Ain (KAFA) Felda Chini 3, Sekolah Agama Rakyat (KAFA) Nur Ilham Felda Chini 1 and SMK Chini 2. 

The Chini by-election is the 11th by-election after the 14th general election (GE14) and the first for the Perikatan Nasional government (PN) after taking over the country’s administration from Pakatan Harapan (PH) last March.

The by-election is making history as the first election that takes place in the ‘new normal’ and involves various restrictions to avoid creating a ‘by-election cluster’.

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Many new rules have to be followed, among them practising social distancing, face masks need to be worn, hands should be washed or sanitised frequently as well as temperature checks.

The Chini state by-election is a three-cornered fight between Barisan Nasional’s (BN) , Mohd Sharim Md Zain, 41, who is a Felda Chini second-generation settler, and two independent candidates, businessman Tengku Datuk Zainul Hisham Tengku Hussin, 64, and blogger Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli, 49.

It was held following the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Harun, 60, at Kuala Lumpur Hospital due to a heart attack on May 7. Abu Bakar was Chini state assemblyman since the 11th general election in 2004.

In the 14th general election, Abu Bakar retained the Chini state seat with a majority of 4,622 votes, after securing 10,027 votes against PAS candidate Mohd Fadhil Noor Abdul Karim, who obtained 5,405 votes and PKR’s Mohamad Razali Ithnain, with 1,065 votes. — Bernama