SEREMBAN, JULY 18 — The curtain for the 16th Negeri Sembilan State Election (PRN) officially opened today with the nomination process taking place simultaneously at eight nomination centres across the state starting at 9 am.
Prospective candidates are given an hour, until 10am, to submit their nomination forms to the Returning Officer before the list of candidates eligible to contest is officially announced.
Immediately after the announcement, the race to win the people’s mandate entered a 14-day campaigning phase until 11.59pm, July 31, as set by the Election Commission (EC).
The EC set the early voting date for the Negeri Sembilan state election on July 28, while polling day was August 1, after the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) was dissolved on June 5 after receiving the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
As of yesterday, the EC announced that 464 nomination forms had been sold, while 70 prospective candidates were confirmed to have paid deposits to confirm their participation.
Based on EC statistics, a total of 889,490 voters are eligible to vote in this election, consisting of 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and spouses, and 5,455 police personnel and spouses.
A few days ago, several political parties announced their respective lists of candidates that combine the synergy of incumbents and new faces in an effort to gain the people’s mandate to lead the state administration.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) will contest in all 36 state seats, Barisan Nasional (BN) (25) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) (11), in addition to the Malaysian Indigenous Peoples Party (ASLI), the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) and the All-Malaysian Jemaah Islamiah Party (Berjasa) each contesting one state seat.
Meanwhile, Bersatu will contest in 24 state seats, including two from the Malaysian People’s Rights Alliance (Urimai) using the Bersatu logo.
To ensure smooth operations, the Negeri Sembilan police have deployed 4,800 officers and personnel, in addition to receiving assistance from 1,373 officers and personnel from Bukit Aman, who will be on duty throughout the general election.
Nomination day is expected to take place in a lively atmosphere around the nomination centre with the presence of supporters as well as a line-up of leaders and political figures to provide support to the respective candidates.
Therefore, the EC reminds all candidates and supporters to comply with the set rules and avoid any provocations that could affect the smooth running of the nomination process.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) expects sunny weather in most areas, except for Port Dickson and Seremban which are forecast to have rain in the morning, but all areas are expected to experience thunderstorms in the afternoon.
In the 15th Negeri Sembilan state election in 2023, PH won 17 out of 36 state seats, followed by BN (14) and PN (five).
— BERNAMA
