Sarawak sets 12 December date for state election
More than 2 million voters will choose an 82-seat assembly, with autonomy and control of natural resources expected to feature in the campaign.
Sarawak will hold its state election on 12 December 2026, the Election Commission announced on 6 November, setting a date for more than 2 million voters to choose members of the Malaysian state’s 82-seat assembly. Nominations are scheduled for 28 November and early voting for 8 December, according to the South China Morning Post and Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Commission chairman Ramlan Harun announced the date after a meeting on Friday, CNA reported. The commission said the 14-day campaign will end on 11 December, according to SCMP. More than 2.05 million people are eligible to vote, SCMP reported. Sarawak’s assembly was dissolved on 26 October, starting the 60-day period in which the election had to be held, CNA said.
The Sarawak election contest and seat plans
The assembly has 82 seats, making it Malaysia’s largest state legislature, CNA reported. In the 2021 election, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) won 76 seats, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) took four and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) won two. PSB dissolved in 2024. Three of its former assembly members joined GPS component Progressive Democratic Party, while the fourth became an independent, CNA reported.
GPS chairman and Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg has said the coalition will contest all 82 seats. DAP, part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), has said it will contest seven seats in Kuching and Bau and may contest an eighth, CNA reported. These are party plans; the reports do not identify candidates for the coming election.
Autonomy and resource control in Sarawak
Sarawak is seeking greater autonomy within Malaysia and greater control over its affairs and resources. CNA reported that the state has acquired an airline and taken over a port and a bank. The government is also seeking regulatory control over oil and gas reserves through state-owned Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros), a challenge to national oil company Petronas. SCMP said autonomy and natural-resource control are expected to feature in the campaign; how voters will weigh those issues is not established.
The Sarawak poll follows a run of state elections across Malaysia. Sabah voted on 29 November 2025, Johor on 11 July 2026 and Negeri Sembilan on 1 August, while Melaka is scheduled to vote on 14 November, CNA reported. Results in Sabah, Johor and Negeri Sembilan marked setbacks for PH. PH won one of the 22 seats it contested in Sabah. In Johor, Barisan Nasional won 48 of 56 seats and PH took the remaining eight. In Negeri Sembilan, Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional won 25 of 36 seats; PH won 11, down from 17 at the previous election, CNA reported.
The scheduled early vote on 8 December falls four days before polling day; the campaign ends the day before the 12 December election. The contest will determine the composition of Sarawak’s assembly, while the state’s autonomy and resource-control efforts form part of the political context reported ahead of the vote.
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Sources and context
- Malaysia’s Sarawak locks election date amid autonomy, resource control pushSouth China Morning Post (byline: Iman Muttaqin Yusof)
- Malaysia’s Sarawak to hold state election on Dec 12CNA (source footer: CNA/cc/ia(nh))
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.