Malaysian voters started voting for the country's general election on Wednesday.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition,led by incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak, is facing stiff competition from the opposition alliance, Pakatan Harapan, or the Alliance of Hope.

The BN coalition is betting on generous handouts and its "proven track record" in order to secure a third term, while Pakatan Harapan is banking on a message of change.

Over 15 million eligible voters are expected to cast their votes between 08:00 and 17:00 local time on Wednesday.

On the morning of the election, tens of thousands of people swarmed polling stations in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and all around the country, which has been decorated with campaign posters and flags bearing the symbols of various political parties.

At a polling station for the Titiwangsa constituency in Kuala Lumpur, voter Ahmed Fizal said he hoped that the candidate who wins will take responsibility for the welfare of those in his area.

"I hope the candidates from the Titiwangsa constituency can focus on the welfare of the voters, especially the infrastructure. I hope that they will have a sense of responsibility towards the people in this area," he said.

Many political analysts have favored the ruling BN to win due to the coalition's rich experience in governance and its achievements in promoting economic and social development, ethnic integration and its ever-increasing support from the Malays.

"The ruling BN party has been in power since Malaysia's independence. So it has a strong advantage whether in the implementation of various policies or access to resources," said Oh Ei Sun, the principal adviser with the Pacific Research Center in Malaysia.

In order to drum up support from the Malay population, Pakatan Harapan chose former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohama to be their candidate in the general election.

"They included former prime minister Mahathir in the Alliance of Hope in a bid to win more support from the Malays with Mahathir's personal charisma and the public support he had in the past," said Tay Tian Yan, the deputy editor-in-chief with the Sin Chew Daily.

A final poll before the election, released by opinion research firm Merdeka Center, forecasts that the BN will prevail.

The election commission said that the final results would be unveiled Wednesday night. A majority of 112 parliamentary seats will embrace a winner in the election.