5 things to know about Johor\u2019s state election on Jul 11<\/p>\n
Pundits expect Barisan Nasional (BN) to retain Johor, while a think\ntank said Pakatan Harapan could wrest several marginal seats from BN if\nthere is a 65-per-cent turnout among Chinese voters.<\/p>\n
JOHOR BAHRU: More than 2.7 million eligible voters in Johor will head\nto the polls on Saturday (Jul 11) in a closely watched state election\nthat analysts say will largely be a contest between the governing\nBarisan Nasional (BN) and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim\u2019s Pakatan Harapan\n(PH).<\/p>\n
Both coalitions are fielding candidates in all 56 state seats.<\/p>\n
Although both BN and PH are partners in Anwar\u2019s federal unity\ngovernment, they remain political rivals in Johor.<\/p>\n
BN won 40 seats in the 2022 election while PH, the state\u2019s main\nopposition bloc, won 12.<\/p>\n
Cost of living, housing affordability and delays to the\nJohor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) masterplan were among the\nkey issues during the two-week campaign.<\/p>\n
The campaign also saw claims that a BN victory could pave the way for\nformer PM Najib Razak\u2019s release from prison, while Parti Islam\nSe-Malaysia (PAS) called on its supporters to back BN in constituencies\nnot contested by its coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN).<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, smaller reformist parties such as the Parti Bersama\nMalaysia (Bersama) and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA)\ncould reshape the contest by \u201cdisrupting the balance of votes\u201d among\nPH\u2019s traditional urban voters, analysts told CNA.<\/p>\n
WHEN WILL RESULTS BE OUT?<\/p>\n
Early voting took place on Tuesday, with the turnout reaching 94.49\nper cent, according to local media.<\/p>\n
A total of 19,471 eligible voters, comprising members of the armed\nforces, police and General Operations Force and their spouses, cast\ntheir ballots at 62 polling centres across the state.<\/p>\n
The turnout was higher than the 87 per cent recorded during early\nvoting in the 2022 Johor state election, local media reported.<\/p>\n
Most Johoreans will, however, cast their ballots on Saturday between\n8am and 6pm.<\/p>\n
Results are expected to be announced from around 10pm on Saturday,\nfollowing an upgrade to the election results management system.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope and pray that with the system we have, which has now been\nupgraded, the full results can be known by around 10pm,\u201d said Election\nCommission chairman Ramlan Harun on Tuesday, as reported by Malay\nMail.<\/p>\n
WHICH ARE THE SEATS TO WATCH?<\/p>\n
A total of 172 candidates are contesting the 56 seats, with\nmulti-cornered fights seen in 42 constituencies.<\/p>\n
Three seats will see five-cornered contests, 12 will feature\nfour-cornered battles and 27 will have three-cornered fights. The\nremaining 14 seats will see straight fights.<\/p>\n
Incumbent chief minister and Johor BN chairman Onn Hafiz Ghazi is\ndefending his Machap seat, facing off against PH\u2019s Nur Hafiz Roslan.<\/p>\n
Analysts have described Onn Hafiz, 47, as \u201cone of the strongest\nfactors in BN\u2019s favour\u201d, citing his economic track record and hands-on\nleadership style.<\/p>\n
Puteri Wangsa is another closely watched contest. Former education\nminister Maszlee Malik is contesting for PH, and observers and the media\nhave identified the 51-year-old as PH\u2019s chief minister contender should\nit secure a majority in the state assembly.<\/p>\n
Maszlee faces a crowded field in Puteri Wangsa, which is also being\ncontested by MUDA\u2019s Rashifa Aljunied, BN\u2019s Teow Chia Ling, Bersama\u2019s\nNicholas Paul Vincent and independent candidate Wang Wee Siong.<\/p>\n
Puteri Wangsa was won by MUDA in 2022 when the party was part of an\nelectoral pact with PH.<\/p>\n
Incumbent Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz is not defending the seat, and\nanalysts say the constituency will be a test of whether the youth-based\nMUDA can retain its support in the densely populated urban mixed\nconstituency in Johor Bahru.<\/p>\n
MUDA is contesting four seats in the Johor election.<\/p>\n
Analysts also identified urban and mixed constituencies such as Johor\nJaya, Permas, Larkin, Stulang, Perling, Skudai, Kota Iskandar and Senai\nas key seats to watch. Johor Jaya, Stulang, Perling, Skudai and Senai\nwere held by PH\u2019s DAP while Permas, Larkin and Kota Iskandar were held\nby UMNO.<\/p>\n
Their results could indicate if younger, reform-minded and\n\u201cdisillusioned PH voters\u201d may be more open to backing alternative\nparties.<\/p>\n
Voters aged below 40 make up 47.6 per cent of the electorate in\nJohor.<\/p>\n
The seats of Bukit Batu, Bukit Pasir, Parit Yaani, Tangkak, Bukit\nKepong and Jementah will also be closely watched, as their winning\nmargins by various parties were among the narrowest in the 2022 state\nelection.<\/p>\n
POSSIBLE UMNO-PAS COOPERATION, JS-SEZ AMONG CAMPAIGN ISSUES<\/p>\n
Growing tensions within opposition coalition PN, as well as issues of\ncontention among the federal unity government partners, surfaced during\nthe Johor polls.<\/p>\n
PN is fielding candidates in 33 seats, with its two main component\nparties - Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu\nMalaysia (Bersatu) running separate campaigns despite contesting under\nthe same logo.<\/p>\n
PAS has openly urged voters to vote for BN in seats not contested by\nPN, arguing that doing so would \u201cpreserve Malay-Muslim political\ndominance\u201d.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, its president Abdul Hadi Awang said it is prepared to\nsupport BN in forming the Johor government if the coalition falls short\nof a simple majority.<\/p>\n
But BN\u2019s Onn Hafiz rejected the offer, saying the Islamist party will\nnot be part of his state government if BN forms the next administration\nand he is reappointed to the top post, local media reported.<\/p>\n
Bersatu leader and former PM Muhyiddin Yassin has also said that the\nparty\u2019s supporters could vote freely in seats not contested by PN,\nfurther outlining a disconnect with PAS\u2019 approach.<\/p>\n
Another flashpoint has been the Johor-Singapore Special Economic\nZone.<\/p>\n
During the campaign, BN\u2019s Onn Hafiz criticised the federal government\nover delays in launching the masterplan, arguing that it was needed to\nsustain the initiative\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n
He had claimed the master plan was a Malaysian government document\nand did not require Singapore\u2019s approval for launch and<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/5-things-to-know-about-johors-state-election-on-jul-11-1783723809", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }