EC: 84.84 per cent cast their votes in GE13

PUTRAJAYA: Out of the total number of 13,268,002 voters for the 222 parliamentary seats, 11,257,147 voters or 84.84 per cent cast their votes at the 13th general election ( GE13), the highest percentage in any general election in Malaysia.

Election Commission ( EC) secretary, Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria said for the 505 state legislative assembly seats contested, 9,742,254 voters or 85.82 per cent had exercised their right to vote in the election.

He said that based on the electoral roll gazetted for GE13, out of the 13,268,002 registered voters, there were 12,885,434 ordinary voters, 146,742 postal voters and 235,826 early voters.

“For the Parliamentary seats, the BN garnered 5,237,699 votes, PKR ( 2,254,328 votes), PAS (1,633,389), DAP (1,736,267), Independent ( 86,935), STAR (45,386), BERJASA ( 31,835), SWP (15,630), SAPP (10,099), PCM ( 2,129), KITA ( 623) and BERSAMA (257).

“For the State Legislative Assembly seats, BN received 4,513,997 votes, PAS ( 2,133,944), DAP (1,442,298), PKR (1,303,457), Independent ( 67,129), STAR ( 43,793), SAPP ( 31,324), PSM ( 8,136), BERJASA (4,756), KITA (1,791), BERSAMA (823) and PCM ( 216),” he said in a statement, here yesterday.

Kamaruddin said that of the 579 candidates who contested the State Assembly seats, 128 candidates lost their election deposits, with Independent candidates forming the largest number totalling 75 people.

For the election results, he said that out of the 222 Parliamentary seats, BN won 133 seats, PKR (30), PAS (21) and DAP (38), while for the State Assembly seats, BN won 275 seats, DAP (95), PAS (86) and PKR (49).

Generally, he said the EC was satisfied with the election process which went smoothly, without any undesired incidents affecting the election process.

“In implementing the general election, the EC always follows the law and tried to make the GE13 as the best, and numerous challenges which were unexpected had to be faced,” he said.

He said the EC would study all the weaknesses especially on the method of overcoming congestion at the polling centres in the morning as well as the presence of a large number senior citizens there. — Bernama