A three-cornered contest will take place for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election, while the Lamag state seat will see a straight fight between two candidates.
Nominations finalised after veteran’s passing
The by-elections were called following the death of long-time Kinabatangan MP and Lamag assemblyman Bung Moktar Radin on December 5.
He passed away less than a week after successfully defending the Lamag state seat in the Sabah state election on November 29, winning by a narrow margin of just 153 votes.
Candidates step forward for Kinabatangan
Barisan Nasional has named Naim Kurniawan, the son of the late Bung Moktar Radin, as its candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat.
Warisan is fielding former Sukau assemblyman Saddi Abdul Rahman.
An independent candidate, Goldam Hamid, has also entered the fray, setting the stage for a three-way contest.
Straight fight in Lamag state seat
For the Lamag state constituency, Barisan Nasional will be represented by Ismail Ayob, while Warisan has nominated Mazliwati Abdul Malik Chua.
Both Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Perikatan Nasional have chosen not to field candidates in either by-election.
Veteran’s long political legacy
The 66-year-old leader had served as Kinabatangan MP for six terms. In the 2022 general election, he retained the parliamentary seat with a comfortable majority of 4,330 votes.
His unexpected passing has paved the way for these by-elections in eastern Sabah.
A total of 48,722 registered voters, including 196 police personnel, are eligible to cast their ballots in the two concurrent by-elections.
