EC: 80pc of voters cast ballots before polls closed

By Zurairi AR

PUTRAJAYA, May 5 — The Election Commission (EC) announced that a total of 12,992,661 voters or some 80 per cent had cast their ballots after polls closed at 5pm today.

Not counting early and postal voters, 12,992,661 or some 80 per cent of registered voters went to the polls today. It is understood to be the highest voter turnout in Malaysia’s electoral history.

Earlier it was reported that voters in Kelantan led the numbers, with 560,274 or 61.82 per cent already having voted.

The Federal Territory of Labuan was also reported to have had the lowest voter turnout, at 10,162 voters or just 44.2 per cent.

The earlier breakdown of voter turnout in each state was as follows: Perlis (78,115; 58.45 per cent), Kedah (630,224; 61.53 per cent), Terengganu (381,488; 60.7 per cent), Penang (489,516; 58.64 per cent), Perak (788,399; 57.58 per cent), Pahang (417,906; 58.35 per cent), Selangor (1,188,063; 58.65 per cent), Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (403,728; 53.74 per cent), Federal Territory of Putrajaya (8,154; 54.18 per cent), Negri Sembilan (307,271; 57.52 per cent), Malacca (232,339; 54.73 per cent) and Johor (944891; 59.80 per cent).

In east Malaysia, 55,934 or 57.19 per cent of voters had voted in Sabah, while in Sarawak 618,661 voters or 58.22 per cent had already done so.

The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur had the highest number of early voters at 30,933, while Selangor had the most number of absentee and postal voters at 755.

A total of 12,992,661 voters cast their ballots at 8,245 polling centres and 25,337 polling channels today before voting ended at 5pm.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told Bernama most of the 8,245 polling centres which opened at 8am closed at 5pm as scheduled.

Two polling centres in the Tungku state constituency and one in the Lahad Datu constituency, in Sabah, closed at 3pm as scheduled, he said.

He also told the national news agency that the counting of votes began at 5.30pm and the tallying would be done after that.

The first results are expected at 7.30pm, he added.