[LIVE] 180 seats across six states to see straight fights

KUALA LUMPUR – In an unprecedented scenario, six states in Peninsular Malaysia are seeing simultaneous nominations today for their respective state elections.

The 14-day campaign period leading up to early voting on August 8 and the main polling day on August 12 are expected to be dramatic and significant. 

The states involved are Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu.

Naturally, many quarters view the elections as a gauge of support for the unity government led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim since the general election in November.

All eyes are also fixed on whether the new alliance between erstwhile rivals Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), who are presently ruling Putrajaya, will succeed at the state level.   

Also of interest is the impact of Islamist outfit PAS, which is part of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

Observers are especially curious about how young voters will choose their representatives.

In total, over 9.77 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the polls, which are estimated by the Election Commission to cost RM420 million.

3.40pm: Election Commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Salleh confirms 572 candidacies and one rejection.  

A total of 245 state seats will be contested – 36 in Kedah, 45 in Kelantan, 32 in Terengganu, 40 in Penang, 56 in Selangor and 36 in Negri Sembilan.

A majority of 180 state seats will see a straight fight.

3.30pm: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain says police patrols at 173 nomination centres found the nomination process progressed without incident.

Top cop thanks all candidates and supporters who were “well-behaved” since nominations began at 9am.

2pm: According to the EC, the oldest candidate is 80-year-old Ravinder Singh from Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) vying for the Pantai Jerejak seat in Penang.

The youngest candidate meanwhile is 23-year-old Melanie Ting who is contesting in Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor under Muda.

12pm: Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, the caretaker menteri besar for Negri Sembilan will face off with PN and two independents for the Sikamat seat.

The state PH chief, will take on Ahmad Raihan Hilal (PN) and Bujang Abu and Hafiz Baharudin.

Aminuddin won the Sikamat seat in GE14 with a 3,413-vote majority in a four-cornered fight.

11.50am: PN, PH and Muda will slug it out for the Bukit Antarabangsa seat.

Muda’s Melanie Ting Yi-Hlin, PN’s Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif and PH’s Kamri Kamaruddin are contesting the seat previously held by Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Azmin Ali since 2008.

11.21am: Election officer Hafiz Aswad Nadzri announces a straight fight in Bayan Lepas between PH’s Azrul Mahathir Aziz, who is defending his seat, and PN’s Datuk Dominic Lau after nominations closed at 11am today.

It is one of the seats to watch as Lau is Gerakan president and is standing for the first time in a Malay-majority seat here. His candidacy faced opposition from PN ally PAS as the party was also eyeing the seat.

10.50am: A former DAP grassroots leader, Ching Boon Lai, will contest the Kuala Kubu Baru seat under the PRM banner.

Ching will be up against Lee Kee Hiong from PH-DAP, R Siva Prakash from Muda, and Teoh Kien Hong from PN-Gerakan.

10.46am: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is touring the nomination centres in Selangor, arrives at Dewan Dato Ahmad Razali in Ampang, where PH’s candidates are contesting in Bukit Antarabangsa and Lembah Jaya.

Ahli Parlimen Tambun, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim memberikan sokongan dengan penyokong-penyokong Pakatan Harapan (PH) ketika meluangkan masa hadir di Dewan Negeri Selangor ke-15 bertempat di Dewan Dato Ahmad Razali Ampang.#GetaranMY pic.twitter.com/Pn3I7FRnLy

— Getaran (@getaranmy) July 29, 2023

10.45am: Kedah caretaker menteri besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Nor (PN) will take on BN’s Khizri Abu Kassim in a straight fight for the Jeneri state seat.

Election officer Suhaimi Man announces that only two nominations for the seat were received at 9.04am and 9.10am respectively.

10.43am: It will be a straight fight for the Bayan Lepas state seat between PH’s Azrul Mahathir Aziz and PN’s Datuk Dominic Lau, who is also Gerakan president.

Election officer Hafiz Aswad Nadzri makes the official announcement.

10.41am: BN’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan will take on PN’s Rosman Malakan in a straight fight for Rantau.

The Umno deputy president has held the seat from 2004, while Rozmal is the Rembau PAS deputy president.

The election officer for Rantau makes the official announcement at SK Bandar Seri Sendayan.

10.19am: PH candidates Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad (Lembah Jaya), better known as the rapper Altimet, and Mohd Kamri Kamaruddin (Bukit Antarabangsa) are accompanied by a line of supporters carrying party flags as they walked into the nomination centre in Ampang. Video by Azlan Hadi Abu Bakar:

10.18am: Nominations close at the SK Bandar Sri Sendayan nomination centre, where there is a straight fight between BN’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and PN’s Rozmal Malakan.

9:43am: Perikatan Nasional supporters, mainly consisting those of PAS, are seen praying at the football field of SMK Sg Pusu, Gombak.

9.40am: PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang is seen at the Petaling district office in Shah Alam with PN candidates for Paya Jaras and Kota Damasara.

Abdul Halim Tamuri from PAS and Razlan Jalaluddin from Bersatu are vying for the Paya Jaras and Kota Damansara seats respectively.

9.35am: In Seremban, MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi accompanies Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan as he makes his bid to defend the Rantau seat.

Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, is looking to defend the constituency for a fifth consecutive term.

9.25am: More than 1,000 PN supporters welcome Kedah caretaker menteri besar Datuk Seri Sanusi Nor, who arrived at the Sik district agricultural office to be nominated for the Jeneri seat.

Supporters also held a special solat hajat at Pondok Tuan Guru Salleh Musa before marching to the nomination centre.
 

9.27am: Scenes at the Bandar Utama Community Hall nomination centre for Kg Tunku, Bandar Utama and Bukit Lanjan constituencies in Selangor: 

9.09am: The Barisan Nasional candidate for Gombak Setia, Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin, enters the nomination centre together with Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

9.05am: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke arrives at the Chennah nomination centre, which is SJK(C) Yuk Hua in Klawang, Negri Sembilan.

Loke, who has been the incumbent in Chennah since 2013, is expected to face off against Perikatan Nasional’s Rosmadi Arif.

9:02am: Pakatan Harapan candidates, VVIPs and their supporters yet to appear outside the nomination centre.

9:00am: The Election Commission announces that the nomination registration process is now open.

8.50am: Candidates from Perikatan Nasional – Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (Hulu Kelang), Muhammad Himan Idham (Gombak Setia) and Muhammad Hanif Jamaluddin (Sg Tua) – arrive at the nomination centre at SMK Sg Pusu.

The trio was flanked by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

8.49 am: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir arrive outside the nomination centre at SMK Sg Pusu, Gombak. – The Vibes, July 29, 2023