Polling ends in Malaysia's Johor regional election

Polling closed in Malaysia's Johor state election at 6 pm local time (1000GMT) across 1,076 centers on Saturday, according to the state-run news agency Bernama.

Vote counting began immediately after polling ended, with results expected later in the evening.

More than 1.8 million people, or 67.44% of registered voters, had cast their ballots by 5 pm (0900GMT).

A total of 172 candidates are running for 56 seats in the 16th Johor State Legislative Assembly.

Along with the upcoming Negeri Sembilan election in August, the Johor vote is viewed as a litmus test for whether the ruling federal Madani coalition can maintain public support ahead of Malaysia's next general election.