THE Election Commission (EC) has confirmed receiving five reports of election-related offences during the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections, as voter turnout remained subdued compared with previous polls.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said four of the reports involved campaign materials, while one concerned provocation.
“All the reports are being acted upon by the monitoring body we appointed and do not involve any police reports,” he said during a media briefing after inspecting the polling centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Garam.
By midday, voter participation stood below 40 per cent in both contests.
“As of 12 noon, the EC recorded a voter turnout of 39.23 per cent for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election, while 38.45 per cent for the Lamag state by-election,” the commission said in a separate statement.
Ramlan attributed the lower turnout to factors commonly associated with by-elections, including voter fatigue and the short interval since the last polls, as well as voters being away from the constituency.
“Usually, by-elections do record a lower voter turnout. In addition, it may also be due to the by-election period being too close to the previous election and some voters being outside the area,” he added.
Despite quieter scenes at several polling centres, particularly in the morning, Ramlan said voting proceeded smoothly across all locations. He noted that the process remained orderly, with no disruptions reported.
The EC expects unofficial results to be available later in the evening, subject to the efficiency of the vote-counting process. “We expect the earliest results can be announced around 10pm, taking into account the smoothness of the vote-counting process at all polling centres,” he said.
Addressing post-election contingencies, Ramlan stressed that the commission has clear standard operating procedures and legal provisions to manage any developments arising from the outcome.
“The EC has established SOPs and laws, and as an independent body, we will ensure this election process runs fairly, transparently and does not give rise to any dissatisfaction,” he said. - January 24, 2026
