KUCHING: Voters in Sarawak are heading to the ballot boxes on Saturday (Dec 18) to choose 82 of the 349 candidates standing in the 12th state polls.

       The doors to the 1,866 polling centres across the state opened at 7.30am and will close at 5pm.

       While the Election Commission has advised voters to cast their ballots according to the recommended time to avoid overcrowding at polling centres, they can do so right until the process ends

       However, the voting process in some polling venues, particularly in the interior, are expected to close much earlier due to the small number of voters.

       The 12th state polls involve 1,252,014 eligible voters, of which 1,213,769 are expected to be voting on Saturday.

       A total of 20,360 are early voters who cast their votes on Dec 14 while another 17,885 voted by post.

       Caretaker chief minister and ruling coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to cast his vote at the Satok Sports Complex at 10am.

       Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) expects thunderstorms in the evening in several divisions including Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Serian, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah.

       Rain is also forecast in Kapit and Bintulu in the evening.