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UMNO has yet to finalise its candidates for the upcoming by-elections in the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency and the Lamag state seat in Sabah.
Its vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the party will only make a decision after the Election Commission announces the key dates.
“We have not decided yet. We are waiting for the Election Commission to announce first,” he said briefly after launching the second phase of the Malaysia–United Kingdom Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) today.
Both seats became vacant following the death of Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on 5 December.
Bung Moktar had represented Kinabatangan in Parliament since 1999, retaining the seat at the last general election with a majority of 4,330 votes. He first won the Lamag seat in 2020 and successfully defended it in the Sabah state election on 29 November, securing a 153-vote majority in a six-cornered race.
Earlier reports have suggested that Bung Moktar’s son and a close political ally are among the frontrunners to carry the Barisan Nasional banner in the two by-elections.
Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar, the Kinabatangan Umno Youth chief and Bung Moktar’s son, is widely tipped as the likely candidate for the Lamag state seat, which his father held for two consecutive terms.
Meanwhile, Datuk Jafry Ariffin, a long-time friend of the late leader and now the Sabah Umno chief, is being speculated as the preferred choice for the Kinabatangan parliamentary contest.
The Election Commission is scheduled to meet on 16 December to determine the nomination, campaigning and polling dates for both by-elections. - December 11, 2025