The Election Commission (EC) announced that as of 4 pm, 57.7 percent of voters in the Sungai Bakap by-election have cast their ballots. All nine polling stations, with a total of 65 streams, opened at 8 am to facilitate 39,151 registered voters in exercising their democratic right to elect a new representative for the constituency today. The polling stations will close at 6 pm and the vote-counting will take place at the Jawi Community Hall in Taman Desa Jawi here. Earlier, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow expressed hope that voter turnout for the day would exceed 65 percent. There are 39,279 registered voters, including 57 police personnel, eligible to vote in this by-election. No early polling stations were opened despite the scheduled date of July 2, after the EC issued 128 postal ballots to eligible voters. The Sungai Bakap state by-election witnesses a head-to-head contest between Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Dr. Joohari Ariffin and Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Abidin Ismail, following the death of incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff on May 24 due to abdominal inflammation. Source: BERNAMA News Agency