The polls closed at 6 p.m., with Malaysia’s Election Commission (EC) saying that 70 percent of the country’s electorate had voted as of 4 p.m. More than 21 million Malaysians were eligible to vote in this election, a whopping 42 percent jump from the last one in 2018, Benar News said.
Malaysia’s parliament has 222 seats, but voting took place on Saturday for only 220 seats.
The EC suspended polling for one seat at several stations in Sarawak state due to bad weather. Earlier this week, the EC postponed voting for another seat in Kedah state, after a candidate died.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, for one, appeared to be glad to see young voters.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, often called the perpetual prime-minister-in-waiting, said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the chances for his Pakatan Harapan coalition.
The election is taking place in the middle of the Northeast Monsoon, which brings with it heavy rain, thunderstorms and often deadly floods. The opposition and some from the ruling party criticized the timing of the polls.
Eight states – Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Sarawak, and Sabah –experienced thunderstorms, heavy rain, and strong winds most of the day through the evening, the EC said.
Television channels showed voters in Sarawak waiting in line in knee-deep water outside polling booths, others elsewhere standing under makeshift shelters to avoid the rain, and commuters navigating flooded roads towards polling stations.
MNA/PR