Sarawak will dissolve its state assembly, setting up Malaysia's fourth regional election this year as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling coalition faces mounting pressure after a string of electoral setbacks. Sarawak premier Abang Johari Tun Openg announced the dissolution, effective Oct. 26, at a briefing on Friday after receiving the consent of governor Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. The Election Commission has 60 days to hold statewide polls.
Sarawak is Malaysia's largest state and among the most ethnically and religiously diverse. The East Malaysian state on Borneo island, a major oil and gas producer, has been dominated by local parties grouped under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition. In the 2021 local election, the coalition won 76 of 82 seats and has become influential in national politics, backing Anwar's federal government while pressing for greater autonomy and control over Sarawak's resources. Gabungan Parti Sarawak is favored to retain control of the state.
Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition won two seats after the last Sarawak election. He has tried to placate Sarawak and neighboring Sabah by offering greater recognition of their state rights, higher development funds and more autonomy over local affairs. Parties in Sarawak and Sabah could again play kingmaker if the next national vote, due in just over a year, produces a hung parliament, as it did in 2022.
Anwar's Pakatan recently suffered major defeats in Johor and Negeri Sembilan to its federal government partner Barisan Nasional and opposition group Perikatan Nasional. The two rivals collaborated in Johor and Negeri Sembilan and are expected to continue cooperating in the upcoming Malacca elections in November.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing