The mobile voting process at three locations in the Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency is postponed to tomorrow after the boat carrying a team of election workers capsized, Election Commission chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman disclosed today.

However, the six election workers including two security personnel in the boat were safe and so were the ballot boxes.

Results of polling for the predominantly Dayak (Iban/Orang Ulu) parliamentary constituency in central Sarawak will now be only known later tomorrow, one day after results for the rest of the country are announced.

Abdul Rashid said one of the three locations was the Uma Sekapan Piit longhouse involving 110 voters and the other two in Uma Balo Kasing Long Amo, involving 120 voters.

"The six election workers were on their way to Uma Balo Kasing Long Amo after completing the voting process in Uma Sekapan Piit before the boat overturned due to the strong current.

"As a result of the incident, all the ballot papers including the marked ones from Uma Sekapan Piit were wet and could not be saved," he said.

Heavy rain

Malaysiakini learnt that the boat capsized in heavy rain in Hulu Rajang at 10am today.

The mishap took place after voting in Uma Sekapang Piit while the SPR boat was on its way to Uma Balo Kasing.

The Hulu Rajang is a straight fight between the BN incumbent from PRS Billy Abit and an Independent George Lagong.

It is made up of two state constituencies - Balleh and Belaga - and has a total electorate of about 17,700, with Iban making up 60 percent and the rest Orang Ulu and non Dayak (including Chinese) at three percent.

It is one of the 'hot' rural seats in Sarawak.

A total of 26 parliamentary seats are being decided in Sarawak after the BN won five uncontested after nomination.

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The EC has established new voting times for the three locations in the Hulu Ranjang constituency that had to close polling early today because of a capsized boat carrying EC officers and ballot papers.

EC secretary Kamaruzaman Mohd Noor said that voting will take place at Uma Sekapan Piit from 10am to 11.30am tomorrow, for 101 voters.

For the 120 individuals who vote at Uma Balo Kasing in Long Amo, polling will be from 1pm to 2.30pm, also tomorrow.

Kamaruzaman said voting at the three stations had to be postponed because the ballot papers were too wet to be salvageable.