Selangor goes to PN if voter turnout below 50 per cent, says analyst

SHAH ALAM - Perikatan Nasional (PN) might have the chance to take over Selangor if the voter turnout stays below 50 percent, says political analyst Dr. Oh Ei Sun.

As of noon today, the Election Commission (EC) has reported that the voter turnout is less than 50 percent nationwide.

Dr Oh said this might be a good indicator for the PN coalition as it heightened their chances to govern Selangor.

"It may be a toss-up if the rate is between 50 and 60 percent.

"But if the turnout stays below 50 percent, Selangor is most probably gone from the grasp of Pakatan Harapan (PH)," he said.

Dr Oh added that for PH to be in the safe zone, there needs to be more than 60 per cent voter turnout in Selangor.

A total of 9,773,571 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the state elections today, while 72,554, or 74.5% early voters comprising of policemen, soldiers, and their spouses cast their ballots on Aug 8.

The state election is taking place in six states (Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan, and Kedah) where the respective state governments had previously decided not to hold their elections simultaneously with the 15th general election (GE15) in November last year.

A total of 529 candidates from nine parties and 41 independent candidates are vying for the 245 state seats up for grabs.