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5 Things to Know About the Sarawak State Election
Those living in Peninsular Malaysia may find the Sarawak State Elections a little fuzzy and even confusing because it is held separately from the General Election. Here are some things to get you up to speed with what’s been going on:
When is Everything Happening?
Nomination day was today. The Sarawak State Election will be held May 7, 2016. Campaigning will last for 12 days before the polling date.The Election in Brief Numbers
A total number of 82 seats will be contested. Over 1.13 million voters are set to vote.The General Election and this State Election is Different
The General Election of 2013 saw voters electing candidates to be in the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat). At the state election, voters will be electing members of the State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri). The tradition of holding the state election separately from the general election in Sarawak has been around since 1979.
Look at all that land to win (Image: www.openclipart.org)
Everyone Wants a Piece of Sarawak
During the previous general election (which is different from the state election to be held in May) in 2013, the number of seats won in the state helped the government coalition stay in power even after a loss in popularity votes. Besides being the biggest state in Malaysia, its abundance of natural resources also makes it a hotly-contested state. You can consider this state election as a sneak preview as to what the next general election may look like.Some Opposition Leaders Were Banned from Entering Sarawak
The Star reported last week that Opposition lawmaker Hannah Yeoh was denied entry in Sibu when she was about to attend an event hosted by the church. The list of other members who have been banned from entering the state include DAP’s Ngeh Koo Kam, Tony Pua, and PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar and Shamsul Iskandar.For a more comprehensive coverage of the Sarawak State Election, visit Astro Awani.