As this is an ongoing event, this thread will be constantly updated as new information arrives. Please let me know if there are any amendments required or if there are any new information on this.
Mandarin version of this can be found here.
Note that this is largely a mirror of what I post on my Reddit account though the monyet.cc version will likely lag behind the Reddit version (monyet.cc will probably be updated roughly once a day, on demand) for technical reasons.
Additionally, for better or for worse, the Reddit counterpart comes with more discussions from other users so if you want more discussion, feel free to take a peek there.
Only major events will be stated under the Consolidated News Articles section -- other internal party events (especially the "he said, she said" materials) will be listed separately in the comments due to character limits in posts.
Scheduled Events
12 Aug 23: State Elections
29 Jul 23: Nomination Day
Consolidated News Articles
05 Jul 23: Six state elections to be held simultaneously on 12 Aug, nomination 29 July
03 Jul 23: EC is notified of state assembly dissolution and will convene to discuss state elections
01 Jul 23: N.Sembilan legislative assembly dissolves today after completing full term
28 Jun 23: Kedah state assembly officially dissolved today
28 Jun 23: Terengganu assembly dissolved, state under caretaker government
28 Jun 23: State polls: Penang dissolves state assembly
26 Jun 23: Muda to contest state elections solo
23 Jun 23: Assembly dissolves to open up Selangor election battlegrounds.
22 Jun 23: Kelantan State Assembly officially dissolves.
15 Jun 23: EC opens applications for election observers to register
08 Jun 23: EC: Applications for postal voting open from June 15
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FAQ and other information
What's happening?
State elections will be held in six states (all in Peninsular Malaysia) namely, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Selangor and Terengganu.
| State | Dissolution Date | Incumbent Government | Current Government Majority (by seats) ^(1)^ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kedah | 28 June 2023 | PN - PAS (MB: Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor) | 21/36 |
| Kelantan | 22 June 2023 | PN - PAS (MB: Ahmad Yakob) | 37/45 |
| Negeri Sembilan | 1 July 2023 | PH - PKR (MB: Aminuddin Harun) | 36/36 ^(2)^ |
| Penang | 28 June 2023 | PH - DAP (CM: Chow Kon Yeow) | 35/40 |
| Selangor | 23 June 2023 | PH - PKR (MB: Amirudin Shari) | 45/56 |
| Terengganu | 28 June 2023 | PN - PAS (MB: Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar) | 22/32 |
^1. Numbers may not tally with occupied seats as some seats were vacated without by-elections.^
^2. Negeri Sembilan's majority Includes seats from their now-coalition partners, BN. Seats were split 20-16 prior to the Unity Government^
When will the elections take place?
The Election Commission have not announced the date for the State Elections. However, by law (barring extraordinary cases), the State Elections must be held before 21 August 2023.
Who will be participating in this State Elections?
From the Federal Government coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) are expected to contest the election as a coalition of sorts, with various seat-sharing arrangements.
From the opposition, Perikatan Nasional (PN) is expected to contest with seats divvyed up among two of the component parties, BERSATU, Gerakan and PAS. News reports suggests that of the 245 seats planned to be contested between BERSATU (83), Gerakan (36) and PAS (126).
As with most elections, some independent candidates are expected to contest. This includes MUDA, one of the smaller parties in the Unity Government, that said that they will contest some State seats solo, after a perceived snub in discussions for seat allocation. MUDA is said to be in talks for an electoral pact / alliance with PSM though it has cautioned that it may not necessarily end up with a large participation in the state elections (less than 10% of total seats).
Why are there only six states holding the state elections? What about the other States not holding their elections?
While State Elections are generally synced to the General Elections (it is a huge cost-saver), these six states exercised their right not to dissolve their State Assemblies during the 2022 General Elections (GE15), partly due to political disagreements.
Additionally, some states held recent elections prior to GE15 (again, due to various political disagreements) and hence had a significant period of time before they were required to hold another election.
| Status | States |
|---|---|
| States required to hold state elections | Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Selangor, Terengganu |
| States that already held their state elections during the 2023 General Elections. | Pahang, Perak, Perlis |
| States that already held their state elections just prior to the 2023 General Elections | Johor, Malacca, Sabah, Sarawak |
Will the results of the State Assembly affect the Federal Government?
As a general rule, "no". State Elections do not affect seats composition at the Federal level (i.e.: Parliament). As the name implies, state elections are meant to elect the state government which manages state-specific matters and certain state-exclusive matters (which may include land matters, Islamic matters, forestry and other matters under the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution).
However, given that the current Federal Government comprises an alliance of coalitions (PH-BN-GRS-GPS and other allied parties), one consideration is that a massive defeat of the Government may prompt each of the individual coalitions to rethink their alliances and possibly opt for an alternative political arrangement with the Opposition. While defection of individual member of Parliaments (MPs) are less likely due to the anti-hopping law, it remains possible for political coalitions to defect as a bloc. If there is significant scale of defection, this could potential lead to a collapse of the Federal Government.
Other considerations include the State Elections being effectively a gauge of grassroot (and indeed, electorate) sentiments on the relatively new PH-BN coalition, and its implications on internal political negotiations.
What are the prospects for the different parties?
Your guess is as good as mine.
That said, Malaysiakini produced an interesting writeup (may require a paid subscription) on how the State Elections would have played out if the State Elections were held at the same time as GE15.
While this is a good baseline, it is worth noting that there are many factors that may have changed since GE15, including the formation of the unity government, changing strength of the "green wave", the relatively low turnout typical of standalone state elections, etc.
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Weekly news digest
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22 July 2023
BN announces candidates, secures some concessions from allies. BN has announced its candidates for the upcoming six state elections. The coalition will be leading the charge in the Perikatan Nasional strongholds of Kelantan and Terengganu. BN will be contesting for 108 with 63% of fresh candidates on its roster. Malaysiakini
18 July 2023
Amirudin to remain MB if PH retains Selangor, says Anwar. PH chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Amirudin had done a good job administering the state, which saw high-value investments here. Amirudin, who is Selangor PH chairman and Sungai Tua assemblyman, was sworn in as the 16th Selangor Menteri Besar at Istana Alam Shah on June 19, 2018. NST
17 July 2023
PN candidates in 45 seats in Kelantan will use Pas' moon logo in upcoming polls. State PN secretary Wan Roslan Wan Hamat said the logo would be used by candidates both from Pas and Bersatu. He said Pas will be contesting in 39 of the 45 seats while Bersatu will contest in six seats. He then confirmed that at least five former Pas assemblymen will not be contesting. NST
15 July 2023
Muda and PSM to work together in state polls. In a press conference today, PSM chairperson Dr Michael Jeyakumar said that the two parties have agreed not to clash with each other in seats they are contesting. Both parties signed an agreement letter to officialise their collaboration. Malaysiakini
Team Dominic dominates Gerakan election. Gerakan polls results announced today saw party president Dominic Lau, deputy president Oh Tong Keong and all three incumbent vice-presidents reelected to their posts for the 2023-2026 term. Now in his second term, Lau (above, second from left), garnered 429 votes out of 1,130 votes cast or 38 percent, making him the party's first minority president. Malaysiakini
14 Jul 2023
DAP names Chow as Penang’s chief ministerial candidate. The incumbent Padang Kota assemblyman was sanctioned to continue into his second term as chief minister by the selection committee headed by DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo, vice presidents Nga Kor Ming and M. Kulasegaran, as well as secretary-general Anthony Loke. The Vibes
12 Jul 2023
BN to announce state poll candidates on July 21: Zahid. Barisan Nasional (BN) will be announcing its list of candidates for the election in six states on July 21. The matter was stated by Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman who is also Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after the unity government Leadership Consultative Council meeting last night. The Vibes
11 Jul 2023
‘MIC, MCA not boycotting state polls, will help Umno candidates win’. MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said such a decision had been made before during the Cameron Highlands parliamentary by-election in 2019, when the seat traditionally held by MIC was given to an Umno candidate who ultimately emerged victorious. The Vibes
PH-BN has finalized the seat allocation, said Anwar. "The seat allocation has been finalized in all states, except for one or two states that we will discuss, and it will be concluded tonight," he told reporters after chairing the Unity Government leadership council at Menara Dato Onn WTC, Kuala Lumpur, tonight. Malaysiakini
10 Jul 2023
Perikatan hopes for post-election deal with Umno. PAS vice-president Datuk Idris Ahmad said its beef is, and always has been, with Pakatan Harapan (PH). “Umno is not dangerous. Our enemy is PH, not Umno,” he told an audience of 6,000 at the launch of PN’s state election machinery for Negri Sembilan in Sikamat near here last night. “We are confident of bringing Umno into the fold in post-election negotiations. The Vibes
7 Jul 2023
Join PN? MCA boss has one word: No. MCA president Wee Ka Siong has no intention to entertain Perikatan Nasional's invitation for MCA and MIC to join the coalition. Sanusi had extended the invitation to join PN after MCA and MIC said they will stay out of the upcoming state elections. Malaysiakini
State polls: Muda going solo is final. Muda's decision to contest on its own in the upcoming six state elections was to defend its principles and is final, said its deputy president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz. According to Amira, the party had also received an invitation from another party to work together in the state polls. Malaysiakini
05 Jul 2023
State elections to cost RM420 million, says EC. The matter was announced by EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh. "A total of 9,773,571 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots during the state elections," he said. "Of the total, 9,674,456 are ordinary registered voters, 49,660 are soldiers and their spouses, 47,728 are police and their spouses, and 1,727 are Malaysians who registered as Absent Overseas Voters," he added. NST
MCA, MIC to skip state elections. Amid the rigorous seat negotiations process between Pakatan Harapan and BN, MCA and MIC have decided not to contest in the upcoming six state elections. However, the two BN component parties are prepared to assist candidates from their coalition. Malaysiakini
28 June Misc. News
Dr M rules out contesting in state polls. The former prime minister said he would however remain “very active” in supporting the movement championing the Malays. Mahathir also poured cold water on Muda’s decision to go solo in the state polls, saying that there was nothing much a party could do if it won a “few seats”. “You must be in the government.” FMT
Muhyiddin: Bersatu MB for S'gor, N Sembilan if PN wins state polls. Speaking to news portal FMT in an interview, PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin also did not specify who the coalition has chosen to lead Penang, which PN is also eyeing in the polls. Although PN has set its sight to carry all six states, Selangor is especially important as it is the wealthiest state in the country, he stressed. Malaysiakini
In open letter, Muda claims to be sidelined by PM, Harapan. Muda has refuted DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang's claims that it had made a "hasty" decision not to cooperate with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's unity government. In a statement, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said Pakatan Harapan secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had ignored three letters from the party calling for a "simple meeting". Malaysiakini
PSM to contest in Selangor. Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) will contest in the coming Selangor election, the party’s youth chief Arveent Kathirtchelvan said. He said PSM would make an announcement soon on the state seats they were eyeing. FMT