Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh has urged voters in the Jepak by-election to come out and vote, as the voter turnout is currently low. He stated that the current turnout is not satisfactory and called on all voters to cast their ballots before 5.30pm to achieve the target of 65% voter turnout. Abdul Ghani made these comments after visiting the SK Bintulu polling station in Bintulu.
The voter turnout for the Jepak by-election was reported to be 33% at noon on Saturday, November 4th, according to Abdul Ghani. In addition to encouraging voters, the EC chairman also requested the contesting parties to mobilize their supporters and encourage them to come out and vote.
The Jepak by-election is a three-cornered fight between Iskandar Turkee from Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Stevenson Joseph Sumbang from Parti Bumi Kenyalang, and Chieng Lea Phing from Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party.
Abdul Ghani stated that polling was proceeding smoothly and no untoward incidents had been reported so far. He commended the voters in Jepak for casting their votes in a proper and peaceful manner.
The EC chairman also informed that the by-election results would be announced by 9pm, as the furthest polling station was only an hour away. He added that the ballots would be counted at the voting streams in each polling station and tallied at the Civic Centre in Bintulu.
