KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysians voted in their 15th General Election on Saturday - some braving heavy rain and floods - with the Election Commission (EC) saying that 70 per cent of 21 million voters had cast their ballots as at 4pm.

The total voter turnout in the 2018 general election was 82 per cent, and 84 per cent in 2013.

The EC said voting for the Baram seat in Sarawak has been halted due to bad weather, with the suspension affecting 11 centres. Officials were not able to reach the centres by air, land or water, said the commission, adding that new polling dates will be announced later.

Queues began forming at several polling centres ahead of the 8am opening time in Peninsular Malaysia despite the rain.

Gates at some polling centres in Selangor and Johor opened about 15 minutes earlier than scheduled to allow voters to take shelter from the rain.

Polling opened at 7.30am in Sabah and Sarawak.

Mr Faizal Azumu, Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) candidate for the semi-urban Tambun ward in Perak, arrived at the voting centre before 8am. He spent some time talking to voters before casting his ballot minutes later.

Mr Faizal is facing Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Anwar Ibrahim, making Tambun one of the country’s hottest seats to watch.

However, he was optimistic, saying: “To be very honest, after two weeks of campaigning, I believe there is a wave across the country supporting PN, which is very encouraging. We believe we can make an upset today.”  

Mr Tan Sun Yu, 25, was “happy” to vote for the first time on Saturday in Tambun.

He is autistic and was accompanied into the voting booth by his mother, Mrs Tan Pek Imm, 54, who said participating in this democratic process will make her son feel more accepted in society, “just like every other Malaysian”.

Datuk Seri Anwar told reporters after voting in Permatang Pauh in Penang that he was “cautiously optimistic” of PH’s chances, after several polling houses projected that the opposition coalition will win the most seats.

Mr Anwar, who is PH’s prime minister candidate, turned up to meet voters at polling centres in Tambun where he is contesting. He is expected to be in capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night as results filter in.

Catetaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob cast his vote at a secondary school in his Bera constituency in Pahang.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) vice-president filled up his ballot papers at around 10.30am with his wife, and appealed for Malaysians to join him in voting.

He won the seat with a 2,311-majority in the last elections and has been MP for Bera since 2004.

Meanwhile, Umno president Zahid Hamidi joined dozens of voters queueing up at Madrasah Sg Nipah in Bagan Datuk, Perak. He walked to the polling station at 8.15am with dozens of supporters, his wife and his daughter.

Speaking to reporters after casting his ballot, Zahid reiterated his belief that his BN coalition has the numbers to win the election, despite pollsters showing them lagging behind rivals.

“As at midnight, after doing headcount at voting districts, after minusing 20 per cent casualties, we are confident we have the numbers to form the next government,” he said.

Zahid is expected to leave his Bagan Datuk residence for Kuala Lumpur later as his party waits for the results on Saturday night.

In Selangor, caretaker International Trade Minister Azmin Ali arrived at Sekolah Kebangsaan Klang Gate at around 8.35am, and he cast his vote moments later for the Gombak parliamentary ward.

The incumbent MP is facing a tough fight against his former protege-turned-rival, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.

Still, he said he is confident of retaining his seat based on his dedication to his constituents. “InsyaAllah (God willing), the people will continue to be with me to develop Gombak.”

Up north in Kedah, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is defending his Langkawi seat, cast his vote in Sek Keb Titi Tinggi with his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.  

In neighbouring Perlis, four-term BN lawmaker Shahidan Kassim, who was dropped by Umno and is defending his Arau parliamentary seat on a Perikatan Nasional ticket, finally arrived to vote at 11am. 

He expressed confidence in winning his seat and predicted that Perlis - which is a BN stronghold, will fall to PN.

Up for grabs in this election are 222 seats in the federal Parliament and 117 state seats in Perlis, Perak and Pahang, and Bugaya in Sabah.

The rest of the states opted not to dissolve their state legislatures and hold state elections alongside the national polls.

This is the first time voters will have to choose between the three main coalitions, Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN), scores of smaller parties and over 100 independent candidates.

The most likely result after Saturday’s polling is Malaysia’s first ever hung Parliament in its 65-year history, a startling outcome given that it was only in 2008 that a functioning two-party democracy started to take root.

Since then, clashes of political ideologies and personalities have created BN, PH and PN, as well as a dominant regional force in Sarawak, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

Hence, it is nearly certain that no single bloc will be able to claim the support of the majority of Malaysia’s 21 million voters. The ground has been difficult to read, with rallies failing to draw the tens of thousands seen in past elections.

Most opinion polls have opposition leader Anwar’s PH in the lead, but still short of a simple majority of MPs. However, these surveys come with a caveat that a sizeable portion of the electorate – from a fifth to a third of them – were undecided heading into the final days of the campaign.

In all probability, Malaysians will wake up on Sunday with no elected leader and a greater sense of uncertainty than on the day after the 2018 election, when Umno’s six-decade rule came to an end after a shock defeat to PH.

Get the latest news and results for Malaysia GE at https://str.sg/malaysia-election