The nomination process for the Jepak state seat by-election is set to begin on Saturday (Oct 21) at Dewan Suarah, Bintulu. This marks the start of the battle to win over voters in the constituency located 620km north of Kuching. The intensity has been building up over the past week with the presence of political leaders and party members from all over Sarawak.
The by-election was called after the death of the incumbent Datuk Talib Zulpilip, 72, from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) on Sept 15. The Election Commission has announced that the polling day will take place on Nov 4, with early voting scheduled for Oct 31.
However, on Oct 20, the Jepak by-election returning officer, Abang Zainuddin Abang Turkey, stated that no early voting center would be opened on Oct 31. Instead, all 43 early voters who are police personnel will cast their ballots via postal votes.
Talib held the Jepak assemblyman position for 27 years, participating in six state elections since 1996, making the seat a stronghold for GPS. Nonetheless, this upcoming by-election will be the first time in almost 30 years for GPS to introduce a new candidate.
GPS ended speculations on Wednesday by announcing Iskandar Turkee as their candidate for the by-election. Iskandar Turkee was previously the state director of the National Anti-Drug Agency. Prior to this announcement, two local opposition parties had already declared their candidates and there were rumors of independent candidates joining the competition.
Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional stated on Wednesday that it would not field a candidate in order to focus on defending the Kemaman parliamentary seat in Terengganu, which has a by-election on Dec 2. Sarawak PKR has also taken the same measure to maintain the harmony of the unity government at the federal level.
In the 2021 state election, Talib secured the Jepak seat with a 4,243-vote majority. The constituency currently has 22,804 registered voters, with the majority being from the Malay/Melanau ethnic group. – Bernama
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