Nomination looms for GE15

The nomination of candidates for the 15th general election (GE15) is scheduled for tomorrow for the 222 parliamentary seats nationwide and the state seats in Perak (59), Pahang (42) and Perlis (15).

The nomination of candidates for the Bugaya by-election in Sabah will also be held at the same time.

The period for the submission of nomination papers will be between 9am and 10am at 222 nomination centres located at district offices, community halls and school halls, among others.

The Election Commission has set Nov 19 for polling and Nov 15 for early voting.

The 14-day campaign period will start tomorrow after the announcement of the candidates contesting the polls, and continue until 11.59pm on Nov 18.
 
Before the dissolution of the 14th Parliament on Oct 10, the composition of seats in the Dewan Rakyat saw Pakatan Harapan (PH) holding 90 seats, followed by Barisan Nasional (BN) (43), Bersatu (28), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) (19), PAS (17), Warisan (seven), Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) (six), Pejuang (four), independents (three), and Muda, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and STAR, one seat each.

Two seats remained vacant following the death of the incumbents, Hasbullah Osman (BN-Gerik) and Liew Vui Keong (Warisan-Batu Sapi).  

At the state level, only Perak, Pahang and Perlis have dissolved their state assemblies to allow state elections to be held simultaneously with GE15.

The PH-controlled states of Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor as well as the PAS-led states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah have opted not to hold their state elections alongside the general election.

The remaining states held their polls separately over the last two years, with Sabah having its election on Sept 26, 2020; Melaka on Nov 20, 2021; Sarawak on Dec 18, 2021; and Johor on March 12, 2022.

The Bugaya seat fell vacant after the death of its assemblyman Manis Muka Mohd Darah on Nov 17, 2020. However, the by-election was postponed following the proclamation of emergency to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Effective Oct 6 this year, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had consented to the lifting of six ordinances and emergency proclamations declared in November and December 2020 to postpone the Batu Sapi and Gerik parliamentary by-elections and the Bugaya state by-election.

The electoral rolls to be used for GE15, the state polls and the Bugaya by-election will be the latest August 2022 additional electoral roll updated on Oct 9, 2022. 

The GE15 electoral rolls contain 21,173,638 voters. Of these, 20,905,366 are ordinary voters, 146,737 are army personnel and their spouses, 118,794 are police personnel, including from the General Operations Force, and their spouses, and 2,741 are absentee voters abroad. 

At GE14, a total of 2,333 candidates filed nomination papers to contest 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats. On nomination day, BN won the Rantau state seat in Negeri Sembilan unopposed.