Counting underway in Malaysia state polls, unofficial results trickling in with no surprises yet
A Malaysian voter gets a finger marked with ink before casting his vote at a polling station in Selayang, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on Aug 12, 2023. Voting began Saturday in crucial state elections in Malaysia, where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's multi-coalition government is seeking to strengthen its hold against a strong Islamic opposition. (Photo: AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
SINGAPORE: Counting is in progress in Malaysia’s six state elections after polling closed at 6pm on Saturday (Aug 12), with unofficial results streaming in and reporting no surprises yet.
Unofficial results on Free Malaysia Today show the ruling Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) coalition taking a lead in Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan - states that it is defending from the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance, which in turn is leading in home turf Kedah.
There are no results reported yet for PN-controlled states, Terengganu and Kelantan, as of 9pm.
In Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) that is part of the ruling coalition, has reportedly won the Chennah seat in a straight fight against PN's Mr Rosmadi Arif.
According to local media, PN has won four of the 36 seats in Kedah where it was the incumbent.
Meanwhile, early results showed that PH has won three seats in Selangor’s 56-seat state assembly, namely the Pandamaran, Bandar Baru Klang and Banting seats.
The coalition has also reportedly won nine seats in Penang’s 40-seat state assembly including the Air Putih seat by DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng.
BN’s Mohamad Hasan - who is also Malaysia’s defence minister - has won the Rantau seat in Negeri Sembilan held by PH-BN. The coalition has also reportedly won three other seats in the state.
In Kuala Lumpur, the media is camped at the World Trade Centre where PH-BN leaders are expected to gather and follow the live counting of the six state elections. Also expected at the event are Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
PN leaders meanwhile are expected to gather at the Concorde Hotel in Shah Alam, Selangor for their viewing party of the live results.
.jpg?itok=D1kc2vmD)
SLOW START
Voting opened at 8am and closed at 6pm, with up to 9.7 million people eligible to cast their ballots. A total of 570 candidates are vying for 245 seats in the six states.
In Selangor, PH and BN held 45 seats in the 56-seat state assembly while PN held five. In Penang, PH and BN held 35 seats in the 40-seat house while PN held only one. PH and BN held all seats in the 36-seat Negeri Sembilan assembly.
Over in Kedah, PN held 20 seats in the 36-seat assembly while PH and BN held 12. In Terengganu, PN and BN held 22 and 10 seats respectively in the 32-seat assembly, while in Kelantan, PN and BN held 38 and seven seats respectively in the 45-seat assembly.
But data by the Election Commission showed an expectedly slow start on Saturday in the six states, with less than half of eligible voters having cast their votes as of noon.
According to the Election Commission, the voter turnout at 12pm stood at 41 per cent in Kedah, 34 per cent in Kelantan, 42 per cent in Terengganu, 38 per cent in Penang, 36 per cent in Selangor and 35 per cent in Negeri Sembilan, said the Election Commission.
The numbers rose later. At 4pm, two hours before voting closed, the voter turnout rose to 68 per cent in Kedah, 56 per cent in Kelantan, 70 per cent in Terengganu, 67 per cent in Penang, 65 per cent in Selangor and 62 per cent in Negeri Sembilan.
Voters that CNA spoke to earlier today said that the voting process was smooth and there were no hiccups or long waits.
At the Seri Gedong School in Sungai Petani, a town in southern Kedah, many voters were seen queuing outside their respective polling rooms as early as 8am. The school is a polling centre for the state seat of Bakar Arang.
Housewife Mdm Azalina Tazol Azmin told CNA that she is determined to vote to "send a message" that she is unhappy with the federal government led by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) - Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
"Many of the policies of the unity government are not pro-Malay and pro-Islam. I think it is our duty as Muslims to signal our discontent, and hopefully effect change," said the 47-year-old.
Over at the voting centre for the Taman Medan seat in Selangor, Adnan Othman, 53, said he is voting for the current administration as he feels it has done a good job.
Mr Adnan, who doesn't work because he is undergoing dialysis treatment, said the state government has provided a lot of help for those facing difficulties such as himself.
"They have incentives for the people of Selangor from cradle to grave," he said, adding that the PH candidate for the seat was a local boy who always helped the people for the past 20 years.
LAST-DITCH ATTEMPTS
In a last-ditch attempt to woo voters just days before voting began, coalition leaders unveiled last-minute policies, made promises and even issued warnings.
On Friday night, Mr Anwar and Muhyiddin capped off their campaigning efforts at rallies in Sungai Petani, Kedah and Taman Melawati, Selangor respectively.
In front of thousands of supporters, the prime minister pledged to "implement financial incentives" for paddy farmers, rubber tappers and lower-income Malaysians across the country after the polls.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin, in an effort to swing support in the bellwether state of Selangor, offered PN’s “vision for the state”.
“Selangor will become a supersmart state with planning of at least 15 years ahead … Selangor must look ahead so that it doesn’t just be the most developed state in Malaysia but can match places in other countries,” he said then.
Analysts have projected that the status quo will remain after the polls, but with PN gaining more support in their strongholds.
While analysts expect the unity government alliance to retain control of Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, they predict that the opposition PN will emerge from the polls with more seats in these states than it currently has.
PN is also expected to win comfortably in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah - where it is the incumbent - and may also win more seats which will pressure the government to “move to the right”.
Additional reporting by Rashvinjeet S Bedi
