275 of 447 candidates in Sabah polls lose their deposit

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 275 of the 447 candidates who participated in the Sabah state elections yesterday lost their deposits after failing to get an eighth or 12.5% ​​of the total votes counted.

The other 172 candidates lost but did not lose their deposits.

The largest number of candidates to lose their deposits in a single constituency was eight in the 11-corner contest for the Bengkoka seat.

Those who lost their deposits were José Modsinupu (PCS), Samuil Mopun (PBS), Sotijin Juhui (Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah), Rita Cham (Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah), Omar Jalun (Usno) and three independents: Francol Tiying, María E [email protected] Ambros and Akian Ah Kiew.

Meanwhile, two key PLD leaders, Honorary Life Chairman Chong Kah Kiat and its Chairman Chin Su Phin lost their deposits for the Inanam and Api-Api seats, respectively.

Chong lost in a 10-corner fight in which six other candidates also lost their deposits. The six are Terence Tsen Kim Katt (Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri), Mohd Hardy Abdullah @ Zoro Yukon (Usno), Regina Lim @ How (PCS), Goh Fah Shun (Gagasan), as well as two independents Ngui Kuang Kee @George Ngui and Achmad Noorasyrull Noortaip.

In the nine-corner fight for the Api-Api seat, six others, besides Chin, also lost their deposits. They are Lo Yau Foh (PPRS), Chong Tze Kiun (Gagasan), Pang Yuk Ming (PCS), as well as independent candidates Marcel Jude, Sim Sie Hong and Ng Chun Sua.

Sabah’s election also saw Phoong Jin Zhe of Warisan garnering the highest number of votes, 15,510, for Luyang’s seat en route to defeating five challengers, all of whom lost their deposits.

Warisan’s Rina Jainal won with the smallest majority of just 10 votes against Chaya Sulaiman, who got 2,824 votes in the seven-corner fight, in which the other five lost their deposits.

Meanwhile, according to the Electoral Commission, 3,884 ballots were not returned and 14,056 votes were rejected out of the general total of 749,083 or 66.61% of registered voters who came out to cast their ballots.

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