Record low turnout, gloomy for opposition as Sarawak polls close

KUCHING - Polling for the 11th Sarawak state election ended at 5pm today with an abnormally low turnout, an inauspicious development for opposition parties hoping to deny Barisan Nasional (BN) a two-third majority.

BN is also two seats ahead, after it won the Bukit Kota and Bukit Sari uncontested on nomination day last month.

At 4pm, the Election Commission (EC) reported a turnout of just 52 per cent, far below the 70 per cent in 2011 and even the 61.9 per cent five years before that. It was even farther from the EC’s targeted 80 per cent.

The figure is believed to be the lowest recorded in the state.

Activity at polling centres checked by Malay Mail Online in the city were vibrant in the morning, but began to peter out by noon.

The polling centres remained uneventful throughout the day, with only the occasional appearance of competing politicians to liven up the crowd.

Beyond the low turnout, however, polling was uneventful save for isolated complaints regarding the efficacy of the indelible ink to prevent repeat balloting.

A total of 1,085,087 voters were eligible to vote in the election to decide the 82 seats of the Sarawak assembly.