The race for all 36 seats in the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election officially begins today with nomination day, signalling the start of a 14-day campaign ahead of polling on Aug 1.
Attention will focus on eight nomination centres across the state, where prospective candidates are scheduled to submit their nomination papers between 9am and 10am. Returning officers will then announce the final list of candidates eligible to contest.
The Election Commission (EC) has set early voting for July 28.
According to the EC, a total of 889,490 voters are eligible to cast their ballots, comprising 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and their spouses, and 5,455 police personnel and their spouses.
Parties finalise candidates for 36-seat contest
With the campaign officially underway, the contest has become clearer as political parties finalised their line-ups for all 36 constituencies.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) will contest all 36 seats, fielding 16 candidates from PKR, 11 from DAP and nine from Amanah.
Barisan Nasional (BN) will contest 25 seats, with 16 candidates from Umno, seven from MCA and two from MIC.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) will field candidates in 11 seats, comprising five from PAS, one each from Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), and four from Parti Wawasan Negara, the coalition’s newest component party making its electoral debut.
However, Bersatu has announced that it will contest 24 seats under its own logo, setting up direct contests against fellow PN component parties.
The party is expected to face PAS in Serting, Ampangan, Paroi and Bagan Pinang, while also taking on Parti Wawasan Negara in Klawang, Sikamat, Mambau and Gemas. Bersatu is not expected to face candidates from Gerakan or MIPP in any of the 24 seats.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin has reaffirmed that all of the party’s candidates will contest under the Bersatu logo.
Smaller parties join the contest
The election will also see Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (Asli) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) field one candidate each, while Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) is expected to contest seven seats.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) and Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) have confirmed they will not participate in the election.
The EC has advised prospective candidates to verify their nomination papers at the Returning Officer’s Office or the State Election Office before nomination day to ensure a smooth process.
Candidates have also been encouraged to pay their election deposits in advance and bring the payment receipts when submitting their nomination papers.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast generally fair weather across most parts of the state on Saturday morning, although rain is expected in Port Dickson and Seremban. Thunderstorms are forecast in the afternoon.
The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on June 5 with the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
In the 2023 state election, PH won 17 seats, BN secured 14, while PN captured five seats.
