Next Sarawak state election

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Next Sarawak state election
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←  2021 By 15 April 2027
All 82 seats in the Legislative Assembly
42 seats needed for a majority
Incumbent Premier

Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg
GPS-PBB



The next Sarawak state election, formally the 13th Sarawak general election, will elect the 20th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. It must be held by 15 April 2027 at the latest, persuant to clause 21(4) of the Constitution of Sarawak. This date is dependent on when the 19th Legislative Assembly first sits. All 82 seats will be up for election, presuming no constituencies are added or removed in a redistribution.

Contents

Background

Previous election

Electoral system

Elections in Malaysia are conducted at the federal and state levels. Federal elections elect members of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, while state elections in each of the 13 states elect members of their respective state legislative assembly. As Malaysia follows the Westminster system of government, the head of government (Prime Minister at the federal level and the Menteri Besar/Chief Ministers/Premier at the state level) is the person who commands the confidence of the majority of members in the respective legislature – this is normally the leader of the party or coalition with the majority of seats in the legislature.

The Legislative Assembly consists of 82 members, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), that are elected for five-year terms. Each MLA is elected from a single-member constituencies using the first-past-the-post voting system; each constituency contains approximately an equal number of voters. If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the government, with its leader becoming the Premier. In the event of a hung parliament, where no single party obtains the majority of seats, the government may still form through a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement with other parties. In practice, coalitions and alliances in Malaysia, and by extension, in Sarawak, generally persist between elections, and member parties do not normally contest for the same seats.

The voting age is currently 18. [1] [2] [3] [4] Elections are conducted by the Election Commission of Malaysia, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department. Malaysia practices automatic voter registration but does not practice compulsory voting.

Notes

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    References

    1. ↑ Nandini Balakrishnan (28 September 2016). "Here's The Fastest Way To Register As A Voter Before The Next Elections". Says.com. Retrieved 9 May 2018. Qualifications needed to register as a voter in Malaysia:
      a) A Malaysian citizen above the age of 21.
      b) A resident of an election constituency.
      c) Is not disqualified by any laws.
    2. ↑ "A Young Malaysian's Guide to the Election". Juice. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018. You are not eligible to register if you are:
      a) on the qualifying date, you are serving jail term or detained as a person of unsound mind.
      b) before the qualifying date, you have been convicted or sentenced to death or serving a jail term of more than 12 months and you're still liable on the qualifying date.
      c) found guilty under the Election Offences Act, 1954.
      d) have a foreign citizenship (Malaysian citizenship law does not permit a Malaysian to carry dual citizenship).
    3. ↑ "Federal Gazette: Undi18, automatic voter registration to come into effect Dec 15 before Sarawak polls". Borneo Post Online. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
    4. ↑ "Undi18 to come into force Dec 15, but might still be too late for S'wak". Malaysiakini. 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
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