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Hadi Azmi

Joseph Sipalan

Agencies

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Updates to this rolling story has now ended. Follow our liveblog for the latest on the vote count from 6pm.
Millions of Malaysians cast their ballots on Saturday to choose who will earn the right to lead the country over the next five years, in a stiff contest that was called ahead of time amid concerns of rising living costs tied to surging inflation and fears of a repeat of deadly floods from a year ago.
This will be Malaysia’s 15th general election and it is likely to be the most hotly contested that the country has ever seen, with the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition jockeying for position against two others: the multiracial Pakatan Harapan and the Malay nationalist Perikatan Nasional.
A record 21 million people are registered to vote this year, an increase of 6 million, or about 40 per cent from the 2018 polls. The growth can be contributed to parliament lowering the minimum voting age to 18 years and approving automatic voter registration.

National polls were called well ahead of the Q3 2023 deadline after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament in October, succumbing to persistent pressure to call for an early election from his Umno party, in their bid to reclaim national power after strong victories in two state polls over the past year.
Critics had accused Umno’s leadership of allegedly trying to save themselves from a raft of corruption charges should they return to power, while ignoring public concerns over rising costs of daily necessities and the risk of potential floods just as the monsoon season set in.
Last December, dozens of people died and thousands displaced after “once in a century” floods struck densely populated areas in Selangor – the nation’s richest state – and other parts of the country.
Here are the live updates:

Nation prepares for vote count
Voter turnout reached 65 per cent or about 13.7 million people as at 3pm, according to the Election Commission, officially exceeding the total turnout of the 2018 national polls with three hours to spare.
The brisk turnout comes amid reports of voters navigating floods in several states, including a family of five in Kelantan that had to ride a boat to reach their polling centre, according to national news agency Bernama.
Police reportedly confirmed three deaths so far, involving one voter lining up to cast their ballot in Kelantan and two others in Johor. Inspector-general of police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani did not elaborate on the causes of death, according to Malay daily Berita Harian.
Acryl also confirmed that police had to step in and defuse a situation at a polling centre under the Hulu Selangor constituency, where a 27-year-old man believed to be suffering from mental illness snatched a bottle of indelible ink and knocked down a ballot box.
Turnout at 2pm level with 2018 total

To the bride in SMK USJ 12 - thank you for voting despite it being your big day! Wishing you and your husband a happy married life together!! ❤ pic.twitter.com/vzIgB8s4r3
— Michelle Ng Mei Sze | 黄美诗 (@michellengms) November 19, 2022

About 58 per cent, or 12.28 million of 21.17 million registered voters, have cast their ballots as of 2pm, the Election Commission said. That figure is close to the 12.30 million people who voted in 2018’s watershed election.
With all eyes now on the close of voting at 6pm – and the subsequent commencement of vote counting – social media users in the interim period turned their attention to voters who turned up at polling centres in fancy costumes.
The Malaysiakini news portal reported that one voter was clad in full “Spiderman” attire, while another came dressed as War Machine. One voter who was not in a superhero costume was Jamie Chai, a voter in Selangor who cast her vote in her bridal dress ahead of her wedding on Saturday.
Selangor assemblyperson Michelle Chai posted a picture on Facebook of the bride. In response, Chai said she was “voting for a better future”. She wrote: Doing my part! Thank you everyone for your selflessness and letting me vote first!”
Khairy hopes for ‘new beginning’

Selesai menunaikan tanggungjawab mengundi Tok Mat di SMA Hj Mohd Yatim, Kota, Rembau. Felt nostalgic going back but hopefully a new beginning today in Sungai Buloh. Biiznillah. pic.twitter.com/8miASOljbW
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) November 19, 2022

Malaysia’s popular Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is contesting in the opposition stronghold of Sungai Buloh in Selangor, but remains a voter in his previous ward, Rembau. Taking to Twitter, the politician said he voted for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.
The 46-year-old’s political future was one of the hotly discussed topics during the campaign, following Umno’s decision to move him to an “unsafe seat” and hand Rembau to Mohamad – despite the minister’s competent performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
His predicament of being moved to an unsafe seat has been perceived as a political manoeuvre by reigning Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to sink Khairy’s political ambitions, though the younger leader has sought to suggest this was not the case.
Strong voter turnout
The voter turnout was on course to set a record, as 50 per cent or about 10.5 million people had cast their ballots as of 1pm (local time), according to data from the Election Commission.
The turnout is less than 2 million short of the total recorded during the 14th general election in 2018, which saw to the country’s first change of government since gaining independence from Britain in 1957.
Candidates also went on a traditional tour of polling centres in their constituencies for the requisite photo-ops and to monitor the vote progress. Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 hit out at the poll body for allowing PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to cast his ballot wearing a vest bearing his party’s logo, local media reported. Voters are not allowed to enter polling centres wearing any clothing or paraphernalia sporting party logos.
An independent candidate added some colour to the battle of ballots by turning up dressed as the “God of Prosperity” – replete with fake beard and sycee – to cast her vote in the urban constituency of Seputeh in Kuala Lumpur, The Star newspaper reported.
Social media platforms were awash with posts of purple fingers – proof that a voter had cast their ballot as they are required to dye a finger with indelible ink at the end of the process.

Many also urged voters who have yet to make the trip to their polling centres to do so soon, in anticipation of worsening weather.
Photos of a polling centre in a rural area in Sarawak on Malaysian Borneo has gone viral, showing voters lining up in knee-deep floodwaters to cast their ballots. Polling centres in several flood-hit areas in Sarawak had to be relocated, according to a report by Malay daily Berita Harian.
Meanwhile in the urban seat of Cheras, a 79-year-old man reportedly died in his car not long after voting. Paramedics confirmed that the resident – whose finger was marked with indelible ink – had died and arranged to send his body to a nearby hospital, according to Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily.
Heavyweights cast their vote

Several party leaders, including Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim cast their votes soon after polling stations opened.
Zahid, the leader of the country’s powerful Umno party seeking to regain its dominance following a shock defeat in 2018, said he is confident the BN bloc would get the mandate to form the next government based on the report he received last night, Malaysiakini citing him as saying. BN would work with other coalitions to strengthen the position of the new government, the report said.
Anwar on Friday night said his Pakatan Harapan alliance will offer a stable government whose economic policies would benefit everyone if it is voted to power in the closely fought election.
“Malaysians who will go to the polls have a very good opportunity in sketching their future,” Anwar said in his final pitch to voters in Perak state. “This election is not about changing the Prime Minister. This election is the best chance to save the country and make sweeping changes.”

Wet and cold morning

Polling day opened to a wet and cold morning in Peninsular Malaysia, but it looked like the rain did not deter voters from coming out.
Pictures of long queues at multiple polling centres populated social media, with people lining up as early as 7am, a good hour before polls opened.
The morning was also greeted with news of the sudden death of a candidate contesting a state assembly seat in the state of Pahang. It was the second death during the two-week campaign.
Earlier this week, a contestant for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat in Kedah died after reportedly fainting at a campaign event.
The Malaysian Meteorological Service earlier issued a warning about possible thunderstorms on Saturday on the coasts of northern states Kelantan and Terengganu.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg


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Malaysia election 2022

Malaysia election 2022: 65 per cent turnout at 3pm, nation readies for vote count

A voter prepares to cast the ballot during the general election in Bera of Pahang state, Malaysia. Photo: Xinhua

Malaysians queue to cast their vote in the general election at Permatang Pauh, Penang state, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Ismail Sabri (centre) queues before casting his vote at a polling station in Pahang state. Photo: AFP

 Voters show their fingers dipped in ink after voting in the federal territory of Labuan. Photo: Bernama/DPA 

Knee-height floodwaters have been reported in and around a polling centre in a rural area in Sarawak on Malaysian Borneo. Photo: Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department 

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim gestures as he walks after giving his vote at a polling station in Seberang Perai, Penang state. Photo: AP 

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad casts his vote in Alor Setar, Kedah state. Photo: AP

Voters wait in line outside a polling station during a general election in Shah Alam, Selangor. Photo: Bloomberg

Malaysia election 2022: Washed out by floods, angry voters vow to ‘teach a lesson’ to absent leaders in coming polls

Men waiting for rescue during a flash flood in Klang in Malaysia’s Selangor state on November 10. Photo: Reuters

A man rides through floodwaters near an election campaign banner. Some schools that double up as polling stations and flood relief centres have been flooded. Photo: EPA-EFE/

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who pressured the prime minister to trigger the election and has downplayed flooding risks. File photo: AFP

Malaysia election 2022: highlights from 2 years of political chaos leading to Saturday’s vote

Umno’s last two years in power have been anything but stable – with the rise and fall of three prime ministers, an economy only just recovering from the pandemic and top party leaders mired in corruption charges and scandals. Photo: AP

Empty Kuala Lumpur during Malaysia’s Movement Control Order lockdown nationwide to prevent the spread of Covid. Photo: Shutterstock

Voters wait for their turn at a polling station during a state election on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysia’s Sabah state on September 26, 2020. Muhyiddin eventually emerged as the winner of the state-level battle. Photo: AP

Malaysia’s King, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, speaks during the opening ceremony of the parliamentary session at the parliament house in Kuala Lumpur on September 13, 2021. The king had rebuked Muhyiddin’s government for misleading parliament by incorrectly suggesting the monarch had agreed to revoking the state of emergency. Photo: AP

Malaysia election 2022: Will weekend vote pitting Anwar, Zahid and Muhyiddin against each other result in remake of tired political drama?

Election campaign party flags in Gombak district in Selangor on November 15, 2022. The two-week campaign for the 2022 general election – which comes to a close at midnight on Saturday – has been one of unfamiliar standing for most of the coalitions and parties competing for control of the 222-seat lower house of parliament. Photo: Bloomberg

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim gestures as he arrives at a campaign rally ahead of the country’s general elections in Kuala Lumpur. Anwar has taken leadership of the Pakatan Harapan campaign and gone on a nationwide tour to stump for candidates. Photo: AFP

Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia’s former prime minister and the leader of Perikatan Nasional, speaks at a campaign rally in Kuala Lumpur on November 14, 2022. Racial and religiously-tinged rhetoric have continued to dominate the party’s campaign messaging. Photo: Bloomberg

Malaysia, used to one-party rule, faces learning curve with messy politics

Malaysian police officers show their inked fingers after casting their votes in early voting for the November 19 general election. The ink, which takes a few days to wear off, is aimed at helping prevent people turning up and trying to vote again. Photo: Xinhua

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim gestures as he arrives at a campaign rally on November 16. Photo: AFP

Malaysia election 2022: Covid star and PM hopeful Khairy Jamaluddin faces ‘fight for political life’

Khairy Jamaluddin said he found his confidence after leading Malaysia’s effort in managing the Covid-19 spread, first as the science and technology minister and later as health minister. Photo: SCMP

46-year-old Khairy Jamaluddin will take on the opposing Pakatan Harapan coalition, which won the constituency with a comfortable 26,000-vote margin in the 2018 general election. Photo: SCMP

A pedestrian walks past party election flags and banners in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 15. Photo: Bloomberg

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, president of the United Malays National Organization, and Khairy Jamaluddin previously butted heads contesting the party presidency after Umno’s defeat in the 2018 general election. Photo: Bloomberg

Supporters of Malaysia’s Barisan National coalition led by Umno wave flags outside the nomination centre in Langkawi Island, Malaysia on November 5. Despite Khairy’s personal popularity, surveys show Umno’s hopes of a return to its pre-2018 dominance are unlikely to materialise. Photo: AP

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Malaysia’s 15th general election, amid surging inflation and fears of deadly floods in the monsoon season, is likely to be the most hotly contested vote ever
Around 12.3 million people had already voted at 2pm, close to the total recorded during the 2018 election. There are six million new voters this year.



Malaysia’s 15th general election, conducted against a backdrop of surging inflation and fears of deadly floods in the monsoon season, is likely to be the most hotly contested the country has ever seen.
