The by-election for the Balingian state seat in Sarawak, which was vacated by former Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud on Feb 28 to enable him to become state governor the following day, has been set for March 29, one week after the Kajang by-election.

Nominations for the polls, which will be country's fourth by-election since the last general elections in May 2013, will take place on March 17, providing a 12-day campaigning period, the Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Aziz Yusoff announced today.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Taib’s party, has yet to decide on its candidate for the seat that Taib held for 13 years before this.

PKR had announced its intention to contest the by-election, though it is largely a stronghold for PBB and Taib.

The state constituency has 13,366 voters.

The by-election will cost the EC around RM910,000.

In the last state elections in 2011, Taib won the seat with an overwhelming majority of 5,154 votes.

In fact, the PKR candidate for the seat, Suriati Abdullah, only garnered 871 votes and came in third, even behind Independent candidate Salleh Jafaruddin who garnered 1,056 votes.

Balingian comes under the Mukah parliamentary seat.