All the candidates contesting in the ninth Sarawak election are racing to the finish line.

None of them withdrew as at 5pm yesterday within the three-day period allowed for them to do so after nomination on May 9, according to State Elections director Noordin Che Ngah.

'I've not received any report of any candidate who has withdrawn,' he told malaysiakini.

Officially, candidates have up to midnight on Friday to give notice in person to withdraw from contesting in the elections. Polling is on Saturday, May 20.

Many journalists, both local and from Peninsular Malaysia, have been heard to say the elections lack the excitement they had originally expected.

One Kuala Lumpur-based newspaper reporter could take time off today to attend the latest movie Poseidon while another took an afternoon nap.

"It's more boring than I expected," one of the journalists said.

Even Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud when officiating at a function in Samarahan yesterday said some excitement would only be felt next week nearer the polling date.

One of the main reasons for the lack of excitement is that generally the Taib Mahmud-led state Barisan Nasional is widely expected to be returned to power.

Few winnable seats

The most optimistic among the journalists and political analysts are saying that at the most the opposition could win five to six seats in both urban and rural areas and at the very least two to three.

But the opposition, made up of a loose grouping called Barisan Bersatu Sarawak (BBS) comprising Snap and PKR and the DAP plus a handful of well-backed Independents say otherwise.

They say the opposition could garner as many as a dozen or more seats in both urban and rural areas.

"There is growing resentment against the system over several issues, including state leadership, corruption and land matters," Joseph Tawie, pro tem information chief of the yet-to-be-registered Malaysian Dayak Congress said.

While many BN politicians acknowledge there is disgruntlement with the government, they say it will not translate into votes to give the opposition victory.

The presence of an independent election watchdog Mafrel has kept the media a little more busy and diverting some of the attention of the Election Commission (EC), especially its chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, from its work.

EC-Mafrel's war of words

Two days ago, the EC chief found it necessary to response to Mafrel's accusations, unclean electoral roll topping the list.

It has become obvious that it has turned into some kind of a personal war of words between Abdul Rashid and Mafrel chief Abdul Malek Hussin.

Mafrel is planning to call a press conference on Sunday to response to the EC chief's latest comments on the election watchdog.

Sixty-nine seats are up for grabs in this elections after the BN won two uncontested on nomination day. Most of the seats will see straight fights between the BN and opposition parties following an electoral understanding among the opposition to avoid a three-cornered fight.

Except for one, the rest of the seats are three-cornered fights.

The Meradong seat is a five-cornered fight in which the BN candidate Wong Zee Yeng is being challenged by a former strongman of the local Supp branch Frederick Wong, DAP's Ting Tze Hui and two Independents David Tiong and Junat Jawek.