LARGEST STATE ASSEMBLY IN MALAYSIA
The Sarawak state assembly currently has 82 seats, making it the largest legislative assembly in the country.
The number is expected to increase to 99 following the EC’s approval of 17 new constituencies, local media reported.
However, the proposed expansion is subject to a redelineation review which is not expected to be completed in time for the upcoming polls, said EC chairman Ramlan Harun, according to the Borneo Post.
In the previous state election in December 2021, the ruling Gabung Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition secured a landslide victory, winning 76 of the 82 seats contested.
Then-opposition party Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) won four seats while the Democratic Action Party (DAP) secured two.
The political composition of the assembly has since changed following PSB’s dissolution, reported the New Straits Times.
Three former PSB assemblymen joined the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), a component party of the GPS coalition, while another former PSB assemblyman, See Chee How, became an independent.
See, who represents the Batu Lintang constituency, has voiced support for GPS’ Abang Johari.