EC says 17 new Sarawak seats unlikely ready for next state election

The 17 proposed new Sarawak state seats are unlikely to be in place for the next state election, Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said. — Bernama pic

First Published: Thursday, 24 Sep 2026 1:43 PM MYT

KUCHING, Sept 24 — The 17 proposed new Sarawak state seats are unlikely to be in place for the next state election, Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said.

He said the review of the electoral boundaries for the seats would take longer than February 2027, when the term of the Sarawak government expires.

“The term of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly expires in February 2027, so based on the process we need to go through, I expect we will not be able to use the new seats in the next state election,” he told reporters after visiting the exhibition venue for the proposed Sarawak Electoral Boundary Review at the Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) here today.

In July, the Sarawak Legislative Assembly passed the State Legislative Assembly (Composition of Members) Bill 2025 to add 17 new seats, bringing the total number of seats from 82 to 99.

Meanwhile, Ramlan said the EC had received 18 objections to the proposed Sarawak Electoral Boundary Review so far, involving various issues including changes to polling district centres.

“There were also several objections concerning the names of certain state constituencies in Sarikei, Bintulu and Sibu. We will assess and examine these matters in greater detail later,” he said. — Bernama