Friday, November 22, 2024
spot_img

Malaysians vote in highly-contested general election

Date:

Share post:

spot_img
spot_img

Kuala Lumpur:  Malaysian voters on Wednesday went to the polls for the country’s general election, with the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition meeting a fierce challenge brought by the opposition alliance – Pakatan Harapan, or the Alliance of Hope.
The BN led by incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak is betting on generous handouts and the “proven track record” of the government to seek a third term. While former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, leading the Pakatan Harapan, is calling for a change, Xinhua reported.
Though most political analysts have favoured the BN to win, the opposition seemed to have managed to raise concerns among voters on certain issues such as increasing living costs, adding uncertainties to the election.
People swarmed to polling stations in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and around the country, which have been decorated with campaign posters and flags bearing the symbols of various political parties.
The 15 million eligible voters are expected to cast their votes between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The election commission said final results could be unveiled on Wednesday night. A simple majority of 112 parliament seats will produce a winner.
The 11-day campaign period culminated on Tuesday night, when both Najib and Mahathir made a live-broadcast speech on television or the Internet for their last appeals to the voters for support.
“If BN were given a new mandate, we will make Malaysia even greater,” said Najib, adding “BN is the party of the future, BN is the party for the future.”
The BN has won every election since the country’s independence in 1957.
Mahathir said in his speech that Malaysia is faced with many problems that only could be solved with the change of a government.
A final poll before the election, released by opinion research firm Merdeka Center, forecast that the BN will prevail in the election, but with the popular vote collecting from Peninsular Malaysia dropping to 37.3 per cent from last week’s 40.3 per cent.(IANS)

spot_img
spot_img

Related articles

47 killed, 22 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon’s Baalbek-Hermel

Beirut, Nov 22: At least 47 people were killed and 22 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the...

Air India institute in Bengaluru to create skilled engineers for aircraft maintenance

New Delhi, Nov 22:  National carrier Air India on Friday said it is setting up a basic maintenance...

India and Japan bolster defence ties, explore air domain cooperation

Vientiane (Laos), Nov 22 (IANS) India and Japan on Friday agreed to explore new areas of cooperation in...

India among top 10 countries with AI readiness: Report

New Delhi, November 22:  India is among the top ten countries in Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness, and the...