SEREMBAN, Aug 1 — Voters in Negeri Sembilan will fulfill their democratic rights and civic duty today in the 16th State Election (PRN) to elect their new people’s representatives.

A total of 859,760 registered voters, including 7,391 postal voters, will determine which coalition is given the mandate to govern Negeri Sembilan, following a 14-day campaigning period that ended right at midnight last night.

Today, the voting process will begin simultaneously at 8:00 am across 401 polling centers statewide involving 1,668 streams, before closing at 6:00 pm.

The Election Commission (EC) targets a voter turnout rate of between 72 and 75 percent today, with results expected to be known as early as 10:00 pm, while the full results are expected to be obtained before midnight.

Last Tuesday’s early voting process saw 91.06 percent, or 14,995 early voters involving military and police personnel and their spouses, exercise their responsibilities.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecasts that weather across almost all areas in Negeri Sembilan - involving the districts of Seremban, Jempol, Jelebu, Kuala Pilah, Tampin, Port Dickson, and Rembau - will be clear throughout the morning until noon, while in the afternoon, most areas across almost all districts are expected to experience heavy rain and thunderstorms.

A total of 36 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats are being contested in this state election, involving 103 candidates.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) dominates the contest by fielding 36 candidates, followed by Barisan Nasional (BN) with 25 candidates, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) with 24 candidates, and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 11 candidates.

Other parties contesting include Berjasa, the Orang Asli Malaysia Party (ASLI), and the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), each fielding one representative each, alongside four independent candidates.

In this state election, 22 state seats face three-cornered fights, another 11 seats feature straight fights, and two seats each witness four-cornered and five-cornered contests.

In the 15th Negeri Sembilan State Election in 2023, PH won 17 of the 36 state seats, followed by BN (14) and PN (five). The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on June 5th.

To get the latest news on the 16th Negeri Sembilan State Election visit https://prn.bernama.com/n9. — Bernama