KLUANG, The Election Commission (EC) announced that as of 4 pm today, 47.16 percent of the 61,274 eligible voters have cast their ballots in the Mahkota state assembly by-election. Voting at the 20 polling centres, which opened at 8 am with 109 channels, will continue until 6 pm. The voter turnout percentage reported at 4 pm is the last update until the full figures are released later tonight. EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun stated that they are aiming for a voter turnout of more than 60 percent. As forecasted by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), light rain began in Kluang around 4.20 pm, following clear weather in the morning. Once the voting concludes, counting will take place at each polling centre, followed by the tallying of votes at the Tunku Ibrahim Ismail Hall. Results are expected as early as 9 pm. The Mahkota by-election features a straight contest between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Mohamad Haizan Ja afar. Early voting took place last Tuesday, involving 4,437 military personnel and their spouses, along with police officers, while 607 ballot papers were issued on Sept 15. Source: BERNAMA News Agency