PORT DICKSON, Malaysia, Oct. 13 -- Malaysia's former deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected to be voted back to the parliament following the by-election on Saturday.
Voters in Port Dickson, a coastal town and a tourist attraction, are expected to elected the 71-year-old Anwar as member of the lower house of parliament, complement to the ruling Pakatan Harapan's surprising victory in the May general election.
Anwar was granted a royal pardon on his sodomy conviction following Pakatan Harapan's victory. He has since won the presidency of his People's Justice Party unchallenged.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the previous member of parliament for the Port Dickson constituency.
Anwar is widely expected to win but voter fatigue and the diluting effect of so many candidates is expected to sap his majority.
He spent most time of the campaign period in Port Dickson, visiting voters, giving speeches and even picking up rubbish on the beaches.
In the last campaign speeches on Friday night, Anwar promised to serve the people of the constituency if elected.
"We are working towards real development that will help ordinary people... I want to make Port Dickson a major tourist attraction," he said.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has also broken his decades-long practice not to campaign for by-election, attending an earlier campaign event to support Anwar.
The reconciliation between Mahathir and Anwar was crucial for Pakatan Harapan's victory, and Mahathir has promised to hand over the premiership to Anwar.
Becoming a member of parliament will pave the way for the succession.
The by-election will see a multi-corner fight with Anwar facing one opponent from the opposition Pan Malaysian Islamic party and several independents, including his former aide who claimed to have been sodomized by him that led to the his imprisonment in 2017.