KUALA LUMPUR — The Election Commission (EC) has announced that it will convene a special meeting on December 16 to finalise the key dates for by-elections in Kinabatangan and Lamag, following the passing of Datuk Seri Panglima Bung Moktar Radin.
The late Bung Moktar, who held the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state seat, passed away on December 5 after battling lung and kidney complications. The EC received formal notifications of the vacancies from Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on December 8 and from Sabah State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Panglima Kadzim M Yahya on December 9.
EC Secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus confirmed that the vacancies would be filled in compliance with the Federal Constitution’s Article 54(1) and the Sabah State Constitution’s Article 21(5), which stipulate that by-elections must be held within 60 days of a seat being declared vacant.
To prepare for this, the EC’s special meeting, chaired by EC Chairman Datuk Sri Ramlan Harun, will establish the schedule for the Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections, including the issuance of the election writ, nomination day, polling day, and finalising the electoral roll.
A press conference will be held following the meeting to provide further details.
Bung Moktar, also the Sabah Umno Chairman, had served six terms as the Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan and was a prominent figure in both Parliament and Sabah’s political scene. – December 9, 2025