Key facts
- Election Commission chairman Ramlan Harun said nominations open November 28 and early voting falls on December 8.
- The commission said the campaign runs 14 days and ends on December 11, with polling on December 12.
- More than 2.05 million eligible voters will choose 82 members of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.
- Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced the assembly's dissolution effective October 26.
- Under Article 21(4) of the Sarawak State Constitution, the election must be held within 60 days of dissolution.
- Gabungan Parti Sarawak, led by Abang Johari, won 76 of 82 seats in the December 18, 2021 state election.
Sarawak will hold its 13th state election on December 12, Malaysia's Election Commission said on November 6, setting a calendar that includes nominations from November 28 and early voting on December 8. Commission chairman Ramlan Harun gave the dates to reporters after chairing a special meeting in Kuching. The commission said the campaign will run 14 days and end on December 11, with more than 2.05 million eligible voters choosing 82 assembly members.
The vote follows the dissolution of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, which Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced on October 23 and which took effect on October 26. Under Article 21(4) of the Sarawak State Constitution, the election must be held within 60 days of dissolution. The current mandate of the 82-seat assembly was due to end in February 2027.
Gabungan Parti Sarawak, the state coalition led by Abang Johari, won 76 of the 82 seats contested in the previous state election on December 18, 2021, while Parti Sarawak Bersatu won four and the DAP two. The state's political landscape shifted after Parti Sarawak Bersatu's dissolution in 2024, when three former assemblymen from the party joined the Progressive Democratic Party, a component of Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and another former assemblyman, See Chee How, became an independent. Gabungan Parti Sarawak comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, the Sarawak United People's Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and the Progressive Democratic Party.