SEREMBAN, July 18 — The 16th Negeri Sembilan state election officially begins today with the nomination process taking place simultaneously at eight nomination centres across the state from 9am.
Prospective candidates have until 10am to submit their nomination papers to the Returning Officer before the list of eligible candidates is officially announced.
Once the list is announced, the contest for the people’s mandate will enter the 14-day campaign period, which runs until 11.59pm on July 31, as set by the Election Commission (EC).
Early voting has been fixed for July 28, while polling day is on August 1 following the dissolution of the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly on June 5 with the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir.
As of yesterday, the EC said 464 nomination forms had been sold, while 70 prospective candidates had paid the required election deposits to confirm their participation.
A total of 889,490 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the state election, comprising 867,151 ordinary voters, 16,884 military personnel and their spouses, and 5,455 police personnel and their spouses.
Over the past few days, political parties have unveiled their slates of candidates, fielding a mix of incumbents and new faces in their bid to secure the people’s mandate to govern the state.
Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) will contest all 36 state seats, while Barisan Nasional (BN) will field candidates in 25 seats and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in 11.
In addition, Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (Asli), the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) and Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) will each field one candidate, while Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will contest 24 seats, including two candidates from Parti Bersepakat Hak Rakyat Malaysia (Urimai) using the Bersatu logo.
To ensure the smooth conduct of the election, the Negeri Sembilan police have deployed 4,800 officers and personnel, with the assistance of another 1,373 officers and personnel from Bukit Aman.
Nomination day is expected to draw large crowds of party supporters, leaders and political figures accompanying their respective candidates to the nomination centres.
The EC has reminded all candidates and supporters to comply with the rules and avoid any form of provocation that could disrupt the nomination process.
The Meteorological Department has forecast generally fair weather across most areas in the morning, except for Port Dickson and Seremban where rain is expected, while thunderstorms are forecast statewide in the afternoon.
In the 15th Negeri Sembilan state election in 2023, PH won 17 of the 36 state seats, followed by BN with 14 seats and PN with five.
For the latest updates on the 16th Negeri Sembilan state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/n9.
