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The leader of the Opposition and the president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Anwar Ibrahim, congratulated Malaysia's Barisan Nasional coalition party for their landslide victory in the Johor state election.

In a Facebook post put up on March 13 in Malay, the former Deputy Prime Minister said that he accepted the decision made by the people of Johor.

However, Anwar also voiced his concern about the low voter turnout trend, calling it "upsetting" and potentially threatening to the "democratic process."

Anwar added, according to The Star:

"This decision also turned out to be an important reminder for political parties to regain their strength in the run-up to the next general election."

The PKR secured a single seat in the election.

Mohamad Sabu: Turnout was particularly poor among Malaysian Chinese voters

Anwar's concern about voter turnout was echoed by Malaysia's former Defence Minister, Mohamad Sabu, who said that poor turnout was the primary reason for the defeat of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, Malaysiakini reported.

Mohamad noted that turnout was particularly poor among Malaysian Chinese voters, adding, "This factor has caused Harapan to lose in its strongholds in mixed seats."

Turnout for the election was 55 per cent, compared to 83 per cent for the 2018 state election.

In terms of absolute numbers, 1.43 million votes were cast compared to 1.5 million in 2018.

Malaysiakini further reported that the percentage drop is due to Malaysia lowering the voting age to 18.

Hasni Mohammed: Poor turnout could be due to Covid-19 concerns

On March 12, Johor's Chief Minister, Hasni Mohammed, noted that as of 4pm, only 50 per cent of eligible voters had been recorded as casting their votes, Bernama reported.

Malaysia's Election Commission had set a target of 70 per cent for the election.

Hasni attributed the low turnout to concerns of being infected with Covid-19.

He said, "They were not very passionate about voting and this involved all races, Malay, Chinese and Indians. As for senior citizens, it may be due to health reasons."

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Top photo via Anwar Ibrahim Facebook