Malaysians complete voting for 12th General Elections

Singapore, Mar 8 (UNI) Voting closed in Malaysia at 1700 hrs local time with a number of incidents including a police tear gas shoot out at protestors in North-Eastern opposition-ruled Trengganu state on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia.

The Election Commission in Putra Jaya confirmed that voting would be held tomorrow in three areas in the Sarawak state on Borneo tomorrow morning, because a boat carrying the ballot boxes capsized in a river though the six election officials and the boxes were saved.

About 65 per cent of the 10.92 million voters had cast their votes in the 7,947 centres throughout the country by 1600 hrs today.

Political analysts were projecting a 75 per cent turnover.

Meanwhile, local media reports said police used tear gas to disperse protestors from the opposition Parti Islam Se Malaysia who had blocked two buses ferrying voters in the Terrengganu state on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Police has detained 20 protestors.

The 12th General Election was called a year earlier by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to seek a fresh mandate but political analysts project a renewed challenge by opposition parties in the country, one of the biggest challenge to the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional since indepedence 50 years ago.

UNI XC RJ RS1731