Nation heads to the polls in most heated contest ever

GE14 POLLING DAY | After 11 days of intense campaigning, the 14th general election finally arrives. Malaysians will hit the polls in what is expected to be the most fiercely contested general election in the country's electoral history.

Some 14,449,200 voters will cast their votes when polls open at 8am.

They will choose from 687 candidates for 222 parliamentary seats and 1,646 candidates for 505 state seats.

The first official results are expected to be announced as early as 9pm, but unofficial results will come earlier.

For record, a total of 11,257,147 voters or 84.84 percent of the 13,268,002 registered voters cast their ballots in the last general election.

The turnout rate in this general election is said to play an important role in the outcome of the polls.