The contest for all 36 state seats in the 16th Negeri Sembilan State Election officially begins tomorrow with the nomination of candidates, marking the start of the 14-day campaign period.
Attention will be focused on eight nomination centres across the state as prospective candidates submit their nomination papers between 9am and 10am before returning officers announce the final list of eligible candidates.
The Election Commission (EC) has set August 1 as polling day for the Negeri Sembilan election, while early voting will take place on July 28.
According to EC statistics, a total of 889,490 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the state election, comprising 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and their spouses, as well as 5,455 police personnel and their spouses.
With less than 24 hours before nomination day, the political landscape has become clearer as parties finalise their candidates and strategies for the 36-seat contest.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) will contest all 36 state seats, fielding 16 candidates from PKR, 11 from DAP and nine from Amanah.
Barisan Nasional (BN), meanwhile, will contest 25 seats with 16 candidates from UMNO, seven from MCA and two from MIC.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) has confirmed its participation in 11 seats, with five candidates from PAS, while Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People Party (MIPP) will each contest one seat.
Parti Wawasan Negara (Wawasan), PN’s newest component party, will make its election debut by fielding candidates in four constituencies.
Bersatu, however, has announced that it will contest independently without using the PN platform and is expected to reveal its candidates later today.
Other parties taking part include Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (ASLI) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), which will each field one candidate, while Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) is expected to contest seven seats.
MUDA, Pejuang and Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) have confirmed that they will not participate in the state election.
The EC has reminded prospective candidates to conduct early checks on nomination forms at the Returning Officer’s Office or the State Election Office to ensure a smooth nomination process.
Candidates have also been encouraged to make deposit payments earlier and bring proof of payment when submitting their nomination papers.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecast that most areas in Negeri Sembilan will experience clear weather on Saturday morning, except Port Dickson and Seremban which are expected to receive rain. All areas are forecast to face thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly was officially dissolved on June 5 after receiving consent from Yang Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
In the 15th Negeri Sembilan State Election in 2023, PH won 17 out of 36 state seats, followed by BN with 14 seats and PN with five seats.
