Polls Close in Tight Malaysia Vote With Najib's Future at Stake

Poll shows Najib coalition winning election in close race
Opposition staking chances on swing in ethnic Malay votes

Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia’s Firdaos Rosli discusses the country’s upcoming election.(Source: Bloomberg)

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Anisah Shukry

May 9, 2018 at 12:04 AM UTC

Updated on

May 9, 2018 at 11:46 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Vote counting is underway in Malaysia’s election in a contest that will determine whether Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition can extend its 61-year run in power.

Poll closed at 5 p.m. in Kuala Lumpur, and a winner may not be known until late in the evening. Turnout reached 69 percent as of 3 p.m. local time, according to the Election Commission website. There’s 222 parliamentary seats in total -- Najib needs to win 112 to retain power and the opposition needs to win as many to unseat him.