Sabah’s Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections set after Bung Moktar’s death

A political legacy ends, but a new chapter begins. Sabah’s voters will soon choose successors for two pivotal seats left vacant by a six-term leader’s passing.

, and Administrator

2025 December 10 . 9:14 PM

1 min read

In the image it is a hall and it has a lot of empty seats and in the front row a person sitting on... — In the image it is a hall and it has a lot of empty seats and in the front row a person sitting on one of the seat, in front of him there is a dais.

Sabah’s Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections set after Bung Moktar’s death

By-elections will soon take place in Sabah for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state seat. These were left vacant after the death of Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on December 5, 2025, at the age of 66. The long-serving politician had held the Kinabatangan seat for six consecutive terms since 1999 and recently won the Lamag state seat in November 2025 by a narrow majority of 153 votes.

Bung Moktar’s passing prompted the Election Commission (EC) to call for by-elections. The EC will set the key dates for both contests on December 16, 2025.

The upcoming by-elections will determine new representatives for Kinabatangan and Lamag. The EC’s announcement on December 16 will clarify the timeline for voting. With PN opting out, the race will now focus on the candidates from other parties or independents vying for the seats.