PUTRAJAYA, Dec 16 — The Election Commission (EC) has set January 24, 2026, as the polling day for the Kinabatangan Parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections in Sabah.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said the nomination day and early voting for the by-elections are scheduled for January 10 and January 20, respectively.
He was speaking at a media conference after chairing a special meeting at Menara SPR today to discuss important dates for the by-elections.
The seats became vacant following the death of the incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on December 5.
Ramlan added that the electoral roll for both seats comprises 48,722 voters, including 48,526 ordinary voters and 196 police personnel.
The budget for the by-elections is RM10 million.
In the 17th Sabah State Election on November 29, Bung Moktar, 66, retained the Lamag seat with a majority of 153 votes in a six-cornered contest.
The Lamag state seat was contested for the first time during the 16th Sabah State Election in 2020.
In the 10th General Election in November 1999, he won the Kinabatangan Parliamentary seat and served as its MP for the area for six terms.
Ramlan said the campaign period for the by-elections is 14 days, starting after the declaration of candidates on January 10 until 11.59pm on January 23.
Applications for all categories of overseas and domestic postal voting for the by-elections opened online today.
The deadline for postal voting applications is January 8 for Category 1A voters (election workers, EC members or officers, police, military personnel, and the media), and January 6 for Category 1B voters (Malaysian citizens residing overseas) and Category 1C voters (agencies or organisations).
The EC has appointed one returning officer, assisted by eight assistant returning officers, to manage the by-election, with Dewan Sri Lamag, Kinabatangan, designated as the nomination centre and official vote-tallying centre. Approximately 1,106 personnel have been appointed for the process.
“Some 36 regular polling centres with 117 polling stations or channels, as well as one early voting centre with a single voting station or channel, will be used,” he said.
The EC advised prospective candidates to verify their nomination forms and pay their deposits early, noting that completed nomination papers must be submitted at the designated nomination centre.
It is also offering government agencies, non-governmental organisations, or other interested bodies the opportunity to serve as election observers to monitor the process from nomination day until the announcement of results.
Electors can check their voting information via the EC portal, hotline, or app, while information and application forms for observers are available at www.spr.gov.my from today until December 31.
