Voting closed in Malaysia as counting begins; 70% turnout as of 4pm

[KUALA LUMPUR] Voting for Malaysia’s 15th general election closed at 6pm on Saturday (Nov 19), as the counting process began for what is fast shaping up to be an extremely close contest.

At least 14.7 million citizens – about 70 per cent of the total eligible pool of voters – had voted as of 4pm, according to data from the Election Commission (EC). Many hoping the country can enjoy a fresh start after years of political instability that has seen three prime ministers in the last four years.

The turnout rate for the last election in 2018 was 82 per cent.

Early voting concluded on Nov 15, with close to 95 per cent out of a group 224,832 voters – police officers and soldiers and their spouses – casting their ballots.

Close to 950 candidates from 20 political parties, along with 107 independents, are contesting for a total of 220 parliament seats. Polling for the Padang Serai parliament seat in Kedah was rescheduled to Dec 7, following the death of Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate M Karupaiya, who passed away on Nov 16.

Voting in 11 areas for the federal seat of Baram in Sarawak was postponed due to bad weather, and the EC has yet to announce a new date.

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Separately, a total of 441 candidates are contesting 117 state seats in Perak, Pahang, Perlis and Bugaya state seat in Sabah.

There are three major coalitions competing to secure a simple majority of 112 seats to form a government. They are the Barisan Nasional (BN), led by caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and BN chairman Zahid Hamidi; Perikatan Nasional (PN), led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin; and long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim from PH.

While it is still unclear when the final results will be announced, many Malaysians are prepared to put an all-nighter to wait for the official announcement. In 2018, the EC only gave the final results the next morning at 3.30 am.