Tanjung Piai by-election set for Nov 16, nomination on Nov 2

PUTRAJAYA: The by-election for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat will be held on Nov 16.

The Election Commission also announced that nomination day would fall on Nov 2 while early voting is on Nov 12.

The announcement was made by EC chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun on Tuesday (Oct 1).

"The Commission was informed on the vacancy of the parliamentary seat by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker on Sept 23.

"According to the law, a by-election must be held within 60 days of the vacancy," he told the media after a meeting was held Tuesday to determine the key dates for the by-election.

There are 52,986 voters in the parliamentary constituency, of which 280 are early voters while eight are absentee voters.

Azhar said the by-election is expected to cost RM2.67mil.

The Tanjung Piai seat fell vacant after its incumbent Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, who was also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, died on Sept 21 at Pontian Hospital due to a heart attack.

Md Farid, 42, who was also Tanjung Piai Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia division vice-chief, won the seat in the last general election after beating MCA's Wee Jeck Seng and PAS' Nordin Othman with a majority of 524 votes.