GE15: 114 early voting centres opened in Sarawak

KUCHING: A total of 114 early voting centres were opened since 8 am today in Sarawak to enable members of the armed forces, the police and their spouses to fulfil their responsibility in the 15th General Election (GE15).

The centres would close in stages with the earliest at noon, and the last at 5 pm.

Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri, when met at the Sarawak Police Contingent headquarters, said 55 early voting centres, involving 103 channels, were opened in the state to allow members of the police force and their spouses to exercise their rights.

He said at the voting centre at the Sarawak Police Contingent headquarters, 830 police personnel would cast their votes at eight channels which open from 8 am to 5 pm.

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Army Eastern Field Command Lt Gen Datuk Mardzuki Muhammad and his wife, DatinSdfra' (Sdfra') Ahmad cast their votes at the Multipurpose Hall of the First Division headquarters, Muara Tuang Camp in Kota Samarahan.

Mardzuki said all the 12,256 early voters involving the army personnel included those on duty at control posts at the state border who are postal voters.

Checks by Bernama at some of the early voting centres, found the voters arriving as early as 7.15 am and the process went smoothly and under control.

The voting process for the 10th Battalion of the Sibu General Operations Team (PGA), at the Multipurpose Hall of Lanang Camp involved 614 personnel and their spouses.

The Miri district police headquarters serves as early voting centres for the Miri and Sibuti parliamentary, each with 1,045 and 775 early voters, respectively.

Some candidates in GE15 were also seen at the centres, such as Datuk Rubiah Wang, who contesting the Kota Samarahan parliamentary seat, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (Petra Jaya), Wong Ching Yong (Lanang) and Lukanisman Awang Sauni ( Sibuti).

The GE15 in Sarawak only involved 92 candidates, including 11 Independent candidates, vying for the 31 parliamentary seats in the state.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is contesting for all the parliamentary seats, Pakatan Harapan (30), Parti Sarawak Bersatu (10), Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (three) and Perikatan Nasional (four), while Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM), Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and Parti Kesedaran Sarawak (SEDAR) each contesting for one seat.

-- BERNAMA