PAPAR, Nov 29 — A total of 31.3 per cent of the 1.74 million voters in the 17th Sabah state election had turned out to vote as of 11am this morning, said Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun.

He said the figure was slightly lower compared to the 16th Sabah polls in 2020 which recorded about 32 per cent for the same period.

He said EC also maintained its initial voter turnout projection of around 60 per cent, compared to about 65 per cent in the last election, taking into account the risk of heavy rain.

In addition, Ramlan said all 882 polling centres for the Sabah polls successfully opened at exactly 7.30am this morning despite several areas facing rainy weather.

“Based on the information we received, several areas have rainy weather but the rain did not stop voters from coming out,” he told reporters after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Kawang polling centre here, today.

Ramlan said the commitment of field staff and thorough preparations enabled the voting process to run smoothly and that rain in several areas did not affect the enthusiasm of voters to turn out early.

In addition, he said the EC would be taking out ballot papers from 85 polling centres in remote areas such as islands by helicopter to avoid delays.

“These polling centres will close at 12 noon because they have fewer than 100 voters.

“We have learned from experience. Let’s all pray together, hopefully we can receive the results by midnight,” he said.

For the latest news on the 17th Sabah election, please visit https://prn.bernama.com/sabah/index.php. — Bernama