Political analyst Dr Jeniri Amir of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak told FMT that voters had become complacent because of Sarawak Barisan Nasional chairman Adenan Satem’s popularity since he became chief minister two years ago.

He said BN supporters were confident that the ruling coalition would win with a big majority and some Opposition supporters who felt the same might have found it pointless to go out and vote.

The Election Commission reported a voter turnout of only 52% shortly before 4pm.

“When you have a high anti-establishment sentiment, the voter turnout will be high,” Jeniri said, explaining this would be the case as supporters of both sides wanted to ensure a victory for their side.

The anti-establishment sentiment strongly present in 2011 had subsided, said Jeniri, who is an associate professor with Unimas. The lower turnout would hurt the Opposition, especially in seats considered marginally safe.

Another factor, Jeniri said, was the timing of the election which is being held close to the Gawai celebrations.

He said voters in rural areas who worked in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak’s big towns would think it a waste of time to travel for hours just to vote, as they would be returning to their hometowns in less than a month’s time.

“At the last state election, some rural areas like Marudi and Telang Usan recorded a voter turnout of less than 55%: it is not so easy to travel to the interior,” he noted.

In urban areas, the low turnout could be due to the “Chinese dilemma.”

“On one hand, they like Adenan, on the other hand, they do not like Barisan Nasional, so it becomes easier to not go out and vote.”

He noted that the infighting between allied parties on both sides could not be a cause as the low turnout ran across the board.

The EC had previously estimated a turnout of more than 80%, compared to 70% in 2011.