Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman today described the voter turnout for the ninth state elections as disappointing.

While not disclosing any percentage, he said the lower figure could be blamed on the sizeable number of electors working away from home who might not have been able to return to vote.

"I don't believe in talks of protests on the part of voters for not exercising their right but rather on the trend of people rushing to the polling stations at the last minute after closing up their business for the day," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Based on initial feedback, Abdul Rashid said the names of many voters, who had migrated to the Peninsula, were also still on the EC electoral roll.

Early closure

As of 5 pm, all the 1,665 polling stations throughout the 69 constituencies had closed, with the earliest ones to close at Tutoh and Liomatu in the interior Telang Usan constituency by 8.30 am.

Two seats, Daro and Dalat, had been won unopposed by the Barisan Nasional (BN) on nomination day on May 9.

On the early closure of the two polling stations, which are situated near the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, Abdul Rashid said it was possible that the EC polling team had waited for the electors but had to move on when they did not turn up.

On the vote-counting process, he said, it was expected to run smoothly as past election records had shown that its election workers in Sarawak had been very efficient.

He said the results of a simple majority of 36 seats was expected to be known by 9.30 pm.