Kemaman polls: Straight fight between BN and PN for Parliamentary seat

PETALING JAYA: The Kemaman by-election in Terengganu is set to be a straight fight between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional.

After the candidate nomination process closed at 10am on Saturday (Nov 18), the Election Commission announced that retired general Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor will be representing Barisan.

According to Sinar Harian Online, Raja Mohamed Affandi will be facing Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who will carry the Perikatan banner.

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Their names were announced by Kemaman by-election returning officer Ahmad Farhan Abdul Wahab at the Kemaman Municipal Council which was turned into the nomination centre.

Some 141,790 electors are eligible to cast their vote in the polls that have been set for Dec 2, while early voting will be on Nov 28.

This by-election is being held following the decision by the Terengganu Elections Court on Sept 26, annulling PAS candidate, Che Alias Hamid’s victory in the 15th General Election (GE15).

The court had ruled that elements of bribery had taken place during the campaign at the time.

During GE15, Perikatan's Che Alias Hamid had won the Kemaman seat by a 27,100-vote majority over Barisan's Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, who is a former Terengganu Menteri Besar.

Earlier in the morning, a slight drizzle did not dampen the spirits of both candidates, with both arriving at the nomination centre with a large crowd of supporters before its gates opened at 9am.

Raja Mohamed was accompanied by the coalition's top guns including deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, ex-Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and Ahmad Said, who is now the by-election's director.

Ahmad Samsuri was accompanied by Perikatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.