Curtains Officially Open for Johor State Election Today, 14-Day Campaign Awaits

JOHOR BAHRU: The curtains for the 16th Johor State Election (PRN) were officially opened this morning with the candidate nomination process at 56 nomination centres (PPC) statewide starting promptly at 9 a.m.

Prospective candidates have a one-hour period, until 10 a.m., to submit their nomination forms to the Returning Officers before the list of eligible candidates is officially announced.

Immediately after the announcement, the ‘war drums’ of the election will begin to beat with the start of the 14-day campaign period until 11.59 p.m., 10 July, as set by the Election Commission (SPR).

The early voting date for the Johor PRN is 7 July and polling day is 11 July, following the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) on 1 June.

As of yesterday morning, a total of 593 nomination forms had been sold, while 133 prospective candidates were confirmed to have paid their deposits to validate their participation.

According to SPR statistics, this Johor PRN sees a total of 2,727,926 registered voters, comprising 2,703,175 ordinary voters, 12,041 military personnel and their spouses, and 12,710 police personnel and their spouses.

The political temperature in the state is expected to peak with the appearance of a combination of new faces, incumbents, as well as the return of former elected representatives being fielded by their respective parties to contest the 56 DUN seats.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) is fielding candidates in all 56 DUN seats, involving an allocation of 20 candidates from PKR, 19 from Amanah and 17 from DAP.

Barisan Nasional (BN) is also contesting all seats, featuring 36 candidates from UMNO, 16 from MCA and four from MIC.

Perikatan Nasional (PN), meanwhile, has announced it is contesting through PAS in 11 DUN seats, Bersatu (16), the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) (five), while Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) is contesting one seat.

This time’s competition also involves the participation of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), which is contesting four seats, the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) with one candidate, as well as the first appearance of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama), which is expected to contest 15 DUN seats.

Typically, nomination day will see a lively atmosphere around the PPCs with party supporters gathering as early as morning to show their support for their respective candidates.

To ensure the smooth running of the process, the SPR reminds all candidates and supporters to comply with the Election Offences Act 1954 (Act 5) as well as local authority by-laws, including the prohibition on using musical instruments or loudspeakers via vehicles for campaign purposes.

Meanwhile, a check on the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) portal forecasts rain in several areas around Johor in the morning, while thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon.

A total of 4,832 police officers have been assigned to ensure security and smooth traffic flow today, including managing the closure and diversion of 19 main roads near PPCs throughout the state.

Prior to the dissolution of the Johor DUN on 1 June, BN controlled 40 seats, followed by PH (12), Perikatan Nasional (three), while MUDA held (one).

Bernama