The Barisan Nasional today won the Ba'Kelalan state by-election in Sarawak with a 1,452-vote majority.

Its candidate Nelson Balang Ringin, 48, polled 2,843 votes against his sole challenger, Independent Baru Bian's 1,391 votes. There were 79 spoilt votes.

The results had come as a surprise to most people as they had expected a close fight, and perhaps even an upset win by the Independent candidate. But in the end, the BN election machinery proved too formidable for Baru.

Baru had lost in predominantly Iban community in Limbang and Kelabit areas in Bario and Ba'Lalan, but did well in Lun Bawang areas.

The results were announced by the returning officer, Abang Kiprawi Abang Rosli, at about 3pm at the vote tallying centre in Lawas Community Hall this afternoon.

Counting began at 2pm after ballot boxes arrived from the last polling station of Long Lellang where voters there cast their ballots this morning instead of yesterday.

The helicopter, which ferried Election Commission officials and the ballot boxes, was unable to reach the remote mountainous area yesterday due to heavy rain.

The voter turnout was a low 56 percent of the 7,896-strong electorate in this predominantly Orang Ulu constituency.

Sweet victory

For Balang, this is a sweet victory after he was chosen as a candidate to represent the BN over several others, who are mostly professionals with higher academic qualifications.

The BN leadership had taken a gamble as the selection had created a lot of controversy, including some muted opposition from Nelson's Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party.

Nevertheless, the majority of the electorate who went down to cast their ballots preferred the BN's 'dacing' (weighting scale logo) instead of the Independent's 'kunci' (key logo).

Balang was the private secretary to the late Dr Judson Tagal, the assistant minister in the Chief Minister's Office, who died in the July 12 helicopter crash near Bario.

He is an Institut Teknologi Mara diploma graduate in business studies, with 15 years of working experience in a finance corporation before joining Judson's staff three years ago.

Baru, 46, who like Nelson is also from the Lun Bawang ethnic group, is well-known among the local community for his church work in the Sijil Indang Borneo evangelical group and as a lawyer defending native customary land rights in courts.