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43pct have voted in Pmtg Pauh as of noon

PMTG PAUH The polling process for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election went on smoothly with 43 percent or 30,865 of the 71,252 registered voters casting their votes as of noon today.

The situation became more congested at most of the 25 polling centres as the clear weather since this morning spurred the public to go out to vote.

Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Suhaimi Sabudin and his family members were among the earliest people to vote at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Guar Perahu in Permatang Pauh.

Suhaimi, 44, voted at 8.10am. His mother, Che Jan Ahmad, and his eldest sister, Suraya Sabudin, arrived at the school at about 8.30am.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Dr Wan Azizah cast her vote at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Penanti at 8.40am.

The Parti Rakyat Malaysia candidate, Azman Shah Othman and Independent candidate Salleh Isahak did not vote as they were not registered voters in the Parliamentary constituency.

The voting process went on smoothly without any untoward incidents although there were moments that could have let to tensions building up.

There were verbal exchanges between supporters of the contesting parties especially PKR and BN, but these were brought under control by the police.

The supporters of both parties had gathered on the road shoulders since early morning to show their support for their respective candidates, and traffic police were on hand to control traffic flow in several congested areas.

The oldest voter, Othman Daud, 103, arrived at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Penanti at 8.05am to cast his vote.

The Election Commission (EC) had also provided facilities for senior citizens and generally, this group of voters expressed their satisfaction with these facilities and EC’s services.

A total of 71,252 people are eligible to vote today while 549 people or  87.6 percent of the 627 early voters had cast their votes on Sunday.

The by-election is being held after its incumbent Anwar Ibrahim lost his eligibility as elected representative after he was convicted of a charge of sodomy, and is undergoing a five-year jail sentence.

- Bernama

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