Polling centres open as Johor election gets underway

 Johoreans start queuing as early as 7.30am to cast their ballots in the 16th state election.

Voters in Johor Bahru queuing outside the Sekolah Rendah Agama Bersepadu Johor Bahru polling centre.

JOHOR BAHRU:

Polling centres in Johor have opened as the state’s 16th legislative assembly election gets underway.

Voters in various parts of Johor Bahru were seen queuing outside the gates of their polling centres from 7.30am, showing eagerness to carry out their civic duty and cast their ballots.

All polling centres will close by 6pm.

A total of 172 candidates are vying for the 56 seats up for grabs in the Johor polls, with Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan clashing in every seat.

Perikatan Nasional is contesting 33 seats, followed by Rafizi Ramli’s Parti Bersama Malaysia with 15, Muda four, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia and Parti Orang Asli Malaysia with one candidate each.

The Election Commission is expecting a 70% voter turnout based on strong public interest during the campaign period.

The voter turnout in the 2022 state election was 54.9%, which observers attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and political fatigue. - FMT