"This is assuming that there is no demand for a recount in the event of a slim majority or no problems of bad weather delaying the landing of helicopters bringing back the ballot boxes."

Wan Ahmad said the commision was optimistic of smooth conduct of the election as it had amply trained the 14,636 staff that have been involved since last year.

Nomination has been fixed for Sept 18.The election is for 62 seats of the state legislature, which was dissolved on Monday.

Polling centres will be open from 7.30am and will closed by 5pm.

The EC is hoping for more than 70% voter turnout this time out of the 868,487 registered voters, compared to 61% in the previous state election.

Wan Ahmad said the target is achievable, given the growing enthusiasm among Sarawakians in the democratic process and the use of the latest electoral roll which has been cleansed of names of dead voters.

The names of more than 21,000 deceased persons were removed from the roll gazetted on Dec 21 last year and updated till Aug 29.

"In the last general election, the electoral roll carried the names of dead voters and this explanined a drop in the percentage of voter turnout," he said.

The EC has also removed from the roll 5,676 other names whose existence could not be verified by the National Registration Department, he said.

The latest roll of 868,487 eligible voters, including 17,726 postal voters, show ed an increase of 54,140 over the electorate size in the 1996 state election.

Wan Ahmad said eligible voters that fail to bring along their identity cards can still cast their ballots if they can produce identification documents such as a passport or driving licence which carry their photograph and ic number.

He also dispelled the notion that a Malaysian citizen failing to vote in three successive elections will be stripped of his citizenship.

"No matter how many times one does not vote, he or she will not lose their citizenship. The election has nothing to do with this (the forfeiture of citizenship) at all." - Bernama