PUTRAJAYA, Dec 5 — theMalaysianinsider The Election Commission has fixed Jan 17 for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election if there is a contest on the Jan 6 nomination day.
Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar announced this after a meeting today.
The seat fell vacant when MP Datuk Razali Ismail, who was also Deputy Education Minister, died last Friday. The two-term MP won narrowly against Pas' Mohamed Sabu in the March 8 general election, winning by just 628 votes.
An independent, 89-year-old grandmother Maimun Yusuf, also contested the seat.
This is the second by-election after the March polls and both Umno and Pas expect a tough fight as Razali only captured the seat with a majority of fewer than 2,000 votes in the last two elections.
Potential Umno candidates are expected to besiege the on-going Monsoon Cup championships in Pulau Duyong in Kuala Terengganu to press their case to contest the seat. The leading contender is Deputy Home Minister Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, who is also Kuala Terengganu Umno division chief.
Pas has said it has two candidates in mind and has appointed deputy president Nasaruddin Md Isa to lead the election campaign. Pas splinter group Angkatan Insan Malaysia (Akim) and even Maimun have also said they are interested to contest the by-election.
Akim president Hanafi Mamat contested the first by-election after the general election, in Permatang Pauh, when incumbent Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail of PKR quit to pave the way for her husband, sacked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to make a political comeback.
Anwar won with a bigger majority of 15,671 votes in the Aug 26 by-election, defeating BN's Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah and Hanafi.
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