KUALA TERENGGANU, 12 Jan 2009: A total of 838 police personnel and 27 soldiers cast their votes in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election here today.
Terengganu police chief Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan said the ballot for the police personnel was held at the Redang Hall at the state police contingent headquarters here from 8am to 5pm.
“According to the electoral roll, 1,001 policemen were eligible to vote in the by-election. However, 190 of them had transferred, retired, resigned or passed away,” he told reporters here today.
Meanwhile, Terengganu election director Mohd Noor Daud said all 27 soldiers, who were entitled to vote in the by-election, exercised their rights at the Territorial Army Engineering Camp at Jalan Pusara here today.
Others entitled to cast their votes early were seven students, who were studying overseas, and 267 election workers.
Meanwhile, for the first time, the Election Commission had allowed candidates’ election agents to come closer to the ballot box chief who issued ballot papers to the police today.
Its deputy chairperson, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said previously the agents were barred from getting closer to the ballot box chief although they were allowed into the polling station.
He said the agents had witnessed the entire voting process from the time the name of the police personnel were called out until the ballot box was sealed.
“Only the Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS candidates’ election agents turned up at the polling station,” he said after visiting the polling station here today.
The BN candidate, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, will face Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut of PAS and independent candidate Azharudin Mamat alias Adam in the by-election on 17 Jan. — Bernama
