Malaysia’s Sarawak to hold state election on Dec 12

PUTRAJAYA: More than 2 million voters in East Malaysia's Sarawak are set to head to the ballot boxes on Dec 12 to cast their votes in the state polls, the Election Commission (EC) said on Friday (Nov 6).

Nomination day is set for Nov 28, while early voting will take place on Dec 8. 

Sarawak dissolved its state legislative assembly on Oct 26, which paved the way for its 13th state election to be held within 60 days.

The EC made the announcement after a meeting earlier on Friday chaired by the commission’s chairman Ramlan Harun.

Sarawak’s polls will be the latest in a string of state elections across Malaysia over the past year – beginning with Sabah on Nov 29, 2025, followed by Johor on Jul 11 this year and Negeri Sembilan on Aug 1. Melaka will head to the polls on Nov 14. 

The results in Sabah, Johor and Negeri Sembilan have marked a setback for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. 

PH won only one seat out of 22 it contested in Sabah although its electoral partner, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, won the most seats, allowing GRS chairman Hajiji Noor to remain the state’s chief minister. 

In Johor, PH ceded ground to its federal government partner Barisan Nasional (BN), which took 48 out of the 56 seats up for grabs, leaving PH with the remaining eight.

In Negeri Sembilan, BN and its electoral partner Perikatan Nasional won 25 out of 36 seats. PH won 11 seats, down from the 17 it had secured in the previous state election.

The Sarawak state assembly currently has 82 seats, making it the largest legislative assembly in the country. 

In the last state election in 2021, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition won 76 seats. Then-opposition party Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) won four seats while the Democratic Action Party (DAP) secured two. PSB dissolved in 2024 and three of its former assemblymen joined the GPS component Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), while the fourth became an independent.

GPS is set to contest all 82 seats in the coming election, its chairman and Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg has said. The DAP – which is part of Anwar’s PH – has said it will contest seven seats in the Kuching and Bau areas, and may contest an eighth seat.

The election comes as Sarawak pushes for greater autonomy within the Malaysian federation.

Sarawak has been pushing for greater control over its own affairs and rights, including through its acquisition of an airline, its takeover of a port and a bank. 

The Sarawak government is also seeking regulatory control over its oil and gas reserves through its wholly owned energy firm Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros), posing a challenge to national oil corporation Petronas' monopoly over Malaysia’s lucrative hydrocarbon reserves.