Negeri Sembilan electoral battle begins after 103 candidates confirmed; BN, PN to campaign for each other
The 36 constituencies will see 11 straight fights, 21 three-cornered contests, two four-cornered contests and two five-cornered contests.
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KUALA LUMPUR: Campaigning for the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election officially began on Saturday (Jul 18) after the Election Commission announced that all 36 seats are up for grabs, with a total of 103 candidates vying for them.
The 36 constituencies will see 11 straight fights, 21 three-cornered contests, two four-cornered contests and two five-cornered contests.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition will contest in all the constituencies, while the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition will field 25 candidates. The state was previously jointly run by the two coalitions, replicating a power-sharing model of the federal unity government.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) – which is contesting in the election on its own - will field 24 candidates, setting up fights with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition that it is still a part of. This comes amid rifts within the opposition coalition.
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PN, which is led by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), will contest in 11 seats. Three candidates from smaller parties and four independents complete the field.
The Election Commission said 94 of the candidates are men and nine are women. The youngest is 23, while the oldest is 70.
In the previous election held in 2023, PH won 17 of the 36 state seats, followed by BN with 14. PN won the remaining five seats, including two by Bersatu.
PN-BN “UNDERSTANDING”
On Saturday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said that PN and BN would campaign for each other’s candidates throughout the Negeri Sembilan state election.
“The spirit is very good, especially the cooperation with BN. The important thing is to ensure that Malay-Muslim leadership continues in Negeri Sembilan.
“We will help each other during the campaign … They will campaign in our areas, and we will campaign in theirs,” he was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
Earlier, BN had said that it was only contesting in 25 seats and had left the remaining 11 without candidates as it works to finalise an electoral understanding with a “trusted friend”.
Commenting on whether the cooperation could eventually be formalised, Hadi stressed that it would be assessed over time.
“We were informed about this cooperation from the beginning. We are not rushing into anything; we will assess it from time to time … we will see how things develop and what the outcome is,” he said.
But BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has insisted that their cooperation is an “understanding” and not a pact.
“This understanding is very important to us because we previously won only 14 seats under BN.
“With this tactical approach, Negeri Sembilan will once again be governed by BN. The blue wave has arrived in Negeri Sembilan,” he said, as reported by Malaysia’s Berita Harian, referring to the coalition’s official colour that is also used in its logo.
SEATS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Among the closely watched seats in the election include Linggi, Chennah as well as Rantau.
Caretaker Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun - who is from Anwar’s Parti Keadlian Rakyat - said on Saturday that his bid to capture Linggi from BN will be an uphill battle.
The constituency has not elected a non-United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) assemblyman since it was first contested in 1959, local media reported. UMNO is a BN lynchpin party.
“At the moment, I still see my chances as 50-50. I am not 100 per cent confident. We still have time during the campaign, but for now, I would say the odds are still evenly balanced,” he was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
The move sees Aminuddin vacate his long-held Sikamat seat in favour of Linggi.
“I am not running away. I am leaving Sikamat because, in my view, Pakatan Harapan needs to win new seats to ensure we can form a stable government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Anthony Loke - who is from PH’s Democratic Action Party - is set to defend Chennah in a straight fight against BN’s Siow Kong Choon.
“Chennah has always been a 50-50 seat because no single ethnic group forms the majority. To win, we need support across all communities.
“The difference this time is that we are contesting as the incumbent government, having served for two terms and delivered development to the area. I hope to retain the support of Chinese, Malay and Orang Asli voters,” he was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
Separately, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan will defend the Rantau state seat – a BN stronghold – in a straight fight against PH candidate Azizul Hakim in the latter’s electoral debut.
“Rantau people have known me for a long time. As for campaign conduct, I have reminded everyone that throughout the campaign, we must not touch on issues involving the monarchy. We must respect the institution and keep it out of politics,” said Hasan.
The Negeri Sembilan snap state election is held against a backdrop of a royal deadlock with two claims to the throne.
It led to Aminuddin dissolving the state legislative assembly after UMNO assemblymen withdrew their support for him over his handling of a crisis involving the state monarchy but later said that they would maintain cooperation in the state.
Close to 900,000 registered voters are eligible to vote in the election that will be held on Aug 1 after a 14-day campaign that is expected to test BN and PN's electoral cooperation while determining whether PH can retain control of the state.
Analysts had previously told CNA that the poor showing by Anwar’s PH coalition at the recently concluded Johor state election has raised the stakes for the Negeri Sembilan polls.
They added that PH must leverage its advantage as the incumbent state government in order to retain Negeri Sembilan, failing which pressure could pile on Anwar to call a snap general election.
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