26 Feb, 11 8:57am
9am to 10am: Nomination period
10am to 11am: Objection period
11am to 12 noon: EC to make official announcement on candidates
It's nomination day for the by-election in the state seats of Merlimau in Malacca and Kerdau in Pahang. Both contests are expected to see straight fights between Umno and PAS.
LIVE REPORTS
7.08am: Merlimau - The sky is pink as the sun rising in Merlimau as police, party workers and media take their place in their respective spots for duty on this slightly windy day.
Police have set up barricades, barbwire and several trucks as a buffer between the PAS and BN supporters who are slowly trickling in.
BN's starting point for its march is about 200 metres from the nomination centre, while PAS is starting some 500 metres away.
7.30am: Kerdau - The sun is fiercely bright over Temerloh town, where the battle for the Kerdau state seat will begin today.
Police have cordoned off Dewan Tun Razak, where the nomination of candidates will take place, putting up a perimeter of iron fencing and barbwire since yesterday evening.
The roads leading to the nomination centre have also been blocked by police as early as dawn.
PAS supporters have assembled at Plaza Temerloh, some 500 metres from Dewan Tun Razak, as early as 5.30am to say prayers and get ready for the march to the nomination centre, while BN supporters have assembled at Dataran Temerloh, an equal distance away, from 7am.
PAS supporters however have made an early presence near the nomination centre, with several stalls selling peddling all sorts of things from ceramah videos to Misai Kuching tea and sunglasses.
8.10am: Kerdau - It's the calm before the storm at the Kerdau nomination centre as senior BN leaders including Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor wait for the arrival of their candidate and his entourage.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to arrive at Dewan Tun Razak at around 8.15am.
8.16am: Merlimau - About 1,000 BN supporters are chanting "Merlimau DUNku Sayang" while they prepare to march to the nomination centre.
While BN junior members like PPP and Kimma are here in force, there are no banners from more senior members such as MIC and MCA.
8.24am: Kerdau - PAS candidate Hassanudin Salim arrives at the nomination with 400 Pakatan Rakyat supporters in tow, chanting 'Allahu-akhbar!' and 'Takbir!' while holding up PAS and PKR flags.
8.25am: Merlimau - PAS candidate Yuhaizad Abdullah and wife Shakila Mohamad arrive at the Pakatan gathering point near the Sime Darby estate about 150m away from that nomination centre at Merlimau Polytechic College.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Azizah, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Md Isa, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali and ousted Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin are among the Pakatan Rakyat crowd.
Yuhaizad who clads in white baju melayu says he is confident to help PAS win the party's first seat in Malacca.
8.26am: Merlimau - Pas Meru member Abdul Rahim, 40, says he drove all the way from Selangor with his wife and six children - age from 13 months to 12 years old. The family arrived in Merlimau as early as 7am.
Abdul Rahim says he brought his children to the by-election to instill in them the spirit of patriotism.
"I've even brought them to (take part) in a protest near the US embassy," he tells Malaysiakini.
8.28am: Merlimau - MIC and MCA supporters finally arrive at the BN camp. Jasin MP Ahmad Hamzah is busy organising all supporters.
Kimma chants "Hidup Kimma" to cheers from others in the crowd. Seen mingling with the crowd are BN leaders including Wee Ka Siong, Shaziman Abu Mansor, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Koh Tsu Koon, G Palanivel.
The crowd of BN supporters has grown to about 2,000.
8.30am: Merlimau - PAS supporters begin marching to nomination centre after a short prayer.
There are about 5,000 of them, some carrying party flags as well as banners bearing messages such as "Apco-Israel bahaya" and "Justice for Beng Hock".
The PAS supporters shout slogan "Tak nak Najib, tak nak Rosmah".
Meanwhile, a group from Persatuan Ketua-ketua Kampung Melaka also joins BN supporters. They are clad in black baju melayu and hold sampin.
PAS candidate Yuhaizad Abdullah's father was a former Tok Sidang for Kampung Chinchin.
8.36am: Kerdau - The BN crowd, which is gathering at Stadium Temerloh, increased from 300 to 500.
Meanwhile, about 2,000 PAS supporters have arrived at the nomination center in Dewan Tun Razak.
8.44am: Kerdau - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and the Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob arrive at Stadium Temerloh, which is just about 500m away from the nomination centre.
8.48am: Merlimau - BN starts to march to the song "Inilah Barisan Kita".
The Pemuda BN banner reads "Jangan Bawa Pengundi Hantu".
8.50am: Kerdau - BN candidate Syed Ibrahim leads the prayer before leading his supporters to march to the nomination centre.
8.57am: Kerdau - DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and a small entourage of DAP leaders arrive at the nomination centre.
9am: NOMINATION OPENS
Kerdau - By-election returning officer Tariff Abdul Rahman announces the start of the nomination process.
Candidates will have an hour from 9am to 10am to file their candidacy papers.
BN supporters arrive at the nomination centre.
Merlimau - Yuhaizad Abdullah (right) PAS candidate is already at the nomination centre to hand in his nomination forms.
9.02am: Kerdau - BN candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad arrives at the Kerdau nomination centre, accompanied by DPM Muhyiddin and several other BN leaders, and scores of BN supporters.
PAS candidate for Kerdau, Hassanudin Salim enters the nomination centre. BN candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad went in four minutes later.
9.04am: Merlimau - BN's Roslan Ahmad enters the nomination centre.
9.11am: Kerdau - The BN crowd starts gathering in a field in front of the nomination centre.
9.16am: Kerdau - PAS candidate for Kerdau, Hassanudin Salim, completes filing his nomination papers before returning officer Tariff Abdul Rahman.
BN candidate Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad is now filing his nomination papers.
9.17am: Merlimau - Some BN local leaders try hard to squeezed into the nomination centre but are blocked by the police as they do not have passes issued by the Election Commission.
The BN crowd quiet down substantially as the mercury rises. They can hear Pakatan supporters aggressively shouting slogans but do not react.
9.23am: Merlimau - MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong says BN is encouraged by the recent by-election victories which signify that the tide is turning towards BN.
"A big win (in Merlimau) will be an endorsement to Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam," he beams.
Meanwhile, photographers are busy taking photos of a fat cat, which is wearing a BN 'T-shirt'.
9.26am: Kerdau - BN's Kerdau candidate, Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad, completes filing of his nomination papers. Both he and PAS candidate Hassanudin Salim later obliged the throng of photographers with a photo op, shaking hands and waving for the cameras.
The candidates, with their respective proposer and seconder, are now sharing breakfast at the same table, while waiting for the nomination period to end.
9.34am: Kerdau - Many of the BN crowd of about 500 strong are from outside the state, some as far as Perak and Penang.
Supporters from both sides have started the customary battle of slogans, with Pakatan supporters going "BN, BN, Barang Naik!" and "Tolak, tolak! Tolak BN", to boos from the other side.
It appears for the moment that Pakatan supporters, who are more organised and have more slogans, are drowning out their BN opponents, who are jeering and sporadically chanting "Hidup BN!".
The two groups are some 40m apart, with barbwire fencing keeping them in check.
There is also a strong presence of more than 50 FRU personnel and police officers in between the two camps.
[More to follow]
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