THE claim that some polling centres in the Johor election yesterday were closed early is not true, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said .

He said the closing time of the polling centres had been fixed according to various factors, including the number of voters.

“Yesterday, there was a complaint from a woman who asked why her polling centre was closed at 2pm. I was informed the polling centre was to cater to only 170 voters and was supposed to close at 2pm.

“So it must be closed at that time, (as) after 2pm, the votes will not be taken into account. This is the law,” he told reporters when met at an event at Kg Tanjung Bako in Kuching today. 

Elaborating, Wan Junaidi said the decision to set the opening hours of a polling station is not up to an individual or the police. 

“The decision does not lie with an individual or the police, the matter has been decided on and all parties have been informed. Voters should know their polling centre’s closing time so they will not be late,” he said. 

Yesterday, a video went viral on social media showing a woman venting her frustration in front of a polling station because she could not enter to vote as the centre was closed. – Bernama, March 13, 2022.