Kinabatangan: A total of 43.23 per cent or 20,873 voters for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election had cast their votes as of 1 pm today, according to the Election Commission (EC).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, of the three state constituencies in Kinabatangan, Lamag recorded the highest voter turnout, with 44.50 per cent, followed by Sukau at 44.32 per cent and Kuamut at 41.45 per cent. A total of 36 polling centres with 117 polling streams for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections opened simultaneously at 7.30 am today.

The polling centres are scheduled to close in stages, from 1 pm to 5.30 pm, according to set voting times to allow the 48,282 voters to elect their new representatives. The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election saw a three-cornered contest between Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar representing Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman for Warisan, and Goldam Hamid as an Independent candidate. Meanwhile, in Lamag, it is a straight fight between Mohd Ismail Ayob from BN and Mazliwati Abdul Malek from Warisan.

The by-elections were necessitated by the death of the incumbent Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, 66, who was also the Lamag Assemblyman, on December 5 last year.