Voters casting their votes via post in Beijing

Sixty-one voters who made up about 34 per cent of 177 Malaysians voters residing in Beijing have cast their votes via post at the Malaysian embassy here as of 11am today.

The postal voters comprising 55 absentee voters and 122 Malaysians residing abroad and Election Commission (EC) workers will exercise their right to vote today.

Malaysian ambassador to China Datuk Iskandar Sarudin was here at 11am to cast his votes for the Rembau parliamentary and Rantau state constituencies.

He encouraged eligible voters to participate in the 13th General Election.

"Many Malaysians here (Beijing) may not participate in this GE13 due to aging," he told Bernama.

He also lauded the EC's move in setting up a station to facilitate Malaysians to exercise their right as voters with the new postal voting system.

Prior to January this year, only absentee voters, namely civil servants working in foreign missions and full-time students overseas and their spouses, were allowed to cast their ballots overseas.

Malaysians living abroad were allowed to cast their ballots for the first time in the GE13. Polling is on May 5.

Besides the Malaysian embassy here, Malaysians residing in China can also cast their votes through postal ballots at the Malaysian consulates-general in Shanghai, Kunming, Guangzhou and Hong Kong between 9am and 6pm today.

Those residing in Taiwan can cast their votes at the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre, Taipei.