Biggest state in Malaysia votes in test for Najib

The premier needs a strong showing in the state for his coalition as he fends off a public campaign to get him to quit

An election in Malaysia's biggest state Saturday is the first chance to assess the level of public support for Prime Minister Najib Razak after nearly a year of political turmoil over funding scandals.

On Borneo island, Sarawak's 1.14 million voters will elect 82 lawmakers to the state assembly for the next five years. Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition, which controls 55 of the current 71 seats, is expected by analysts to return to power with a comfortable margin. Electoral officials added 11 seats in a boundary redraw last year that critics said would favour the government.

Najib has been a frequent presence in the state in recent months, and has promised billions of development funds. The premier needs a strong showing in the state for his coalition as he fends off a public campaign led by former leader Mahathir Mohamad to get him to quit. Voter turnout was about 39 per cent as of 1 pm local time, the official Bernama news agency reported, citing the Election Commission.

"If they win really well, at least he can go back and convince his own party that he's not a liability, he can still deliver seats in an election," said Ibrahim Suffian, an analyst at the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research in Kuala Lumpur, referring to Najib. "A Sarawak election that delivered the seats for Barisan is going to be one that gives confidence to Najib as a prime minister."

Millions of dollars were deposited in Najib's personal accounts ahead of the 2013 federal election, and debt-ridden state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd - whose advisory board the premier has chaired - is the center of global probes into potential embezzlement. Both Najib and 1MDB have denied wrongdoing. The government said the funds in Najib's accounts were a donation from the Saudi royal family and most of it was later returned.

While Sarawak voters are typically more concerned with basic issues affecting their lives and support BN because of the popularity of Chief Minister Adenan Satem, in power since February 2014, Najib could also potentially claim a victory in the state as a personal endorsement.

Sarawak and neighbouring Sabah contributed about a third of parliamentary seats won by BN in the 2013 general election. The next national poll is due by 2018. The BN-led coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957, retained power in 2013 with its slimmest margin - and could have lost if not for the Borneo states.