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KOTA KINABALU: The close contest in the Sabah election, with an average of six candidates per seat, is making people think a lot about who to vote for on Saturday, according to one analyst.
Romzi Ationg, a political researcher at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), said voters’ preferences may be slightly affected due to the crowded field of 447 candidates competing in 73 constituencies.
“The appearance of new faces, the return of old parties and the increase in the number of candidates and political parties will give voters a hard time. They will be confused about who to vote for, ”he told Bernama.
He said he based his opinion on the findings he collected from his walks and interviews with voters in more than 40 constituencies.
“This election is making voters decide cautiously as each vote will count in determining the victory of a candidate and political party,” he said, adding that the strength of a party and the credibility of a candidate will be among the key factors.
Romzi also said that there will be a division of votes due to the large number of candidates, as well as cases of friendly parties pitting their elections against each other.
“When there are more than two candidates (from friendly parties), these candidates will split the votes of their common supporters and possibly give victory to a less preferred, even less preferred candidate,” he said.
“This happened in previous elections in our country and in other countries,” he said.
Romzi also said that elected representatives who had not performed well can force voters to support new faces.
Two major alliances (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Warisan Plus), eight parties, and 56 independents compete for the 73 seats at stake.
A total of 1.12 million voters are eligible to go to the polls on Saturday.
Click here for the latest news on Sabah surveys
