Malaysians vote in six state elections seen as referendum on Anwar

Malaysians in six states went to the polls Saturday to vote for state assembly members in elections widely seen as a barometer of support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government. Voter turnout was between 56-70 percent of the more than 9.7 million registered voters as of 4:00 pm.

Of the six, Anwar's coalition currently holds Negeri Sembilan and the country's two richest states: Selangor, home of Malaysia's biggest port, and Penang, which hosts a thriving semiconductor industry. The other three states are controlled by an influential rural-based Malay Muslim alliance led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Anwar urged voters to give his coalition a "clear and strong mandate to bring a better agenda for all races in this country".