Johor polls: Refreshed slate for PM Anwar’s PH, lean lineup for opposition PN as campaigning kicks off
Analysts say that Perikatan Nasional’s decision to contest only 33 out of the 56 seats could benefit incumbent ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, paving the way for future cooperation in subsequent polls.
Johor caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi will defend his Machap seat in a straight fight against Pakatan Harapan candidate Nor Hafiz Roslan, both pictured here on Jun 27, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Amir Yusof)
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MACHAP, Johor: The campaign for the Johor’s Jul 11 state elections kicked off on Saturday (Jun 27) with contests confirmed in all 56 seats of the state assembly with a total of 172 candidates.
The incumbent ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) and the biggest opposition block Pakatan Harapan (PH) have fielded candidates to contest in every seat, as earlier pledged by their respective leaders – Johor caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with PH introducing a lineup of mostly new faces.
But Perikatan Nasional (PN), which forms the biggest opposition block at the federal level, is contesting just 33 seats in total, despite saying a month ago that it planned to contest all 56.
The embattled coalition is plagued by infighting between its main component parties Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Analysts told CNA that PN’s decision to not contest the other 23 constituencies could benefit BN as it will likely not split the ethnic Malay votes, increasing the latter’s chances of clinching these seats.
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While BN have maintained that there are no political pacts with any parties for the Johor polls, observers added that PN’s decision to stand aside for some key battlegrounds could pave the way for future cooperation between PAS and BN’s lynchpin party United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) in subsequent state polls or the upcoming general election.
BN and PH are partners in Anwar’s federal unity government but are on opposite benches in the Johor state assembly since the last polls in 2022.
Meanwhile, several key PH Johor stalwarts were not fielded for the polls such as Deputy Minister of Finance Liew Chin Tong, the coalition’s Johor chapter chief Aminolhuda Hassan and three-term state assemblywoman and former state executive councillor Liow Cai Tung, with new faces taking their place.
Observers said that this is part of the coalition’s leadership transition with many of these experienced leaders slated to play a bigger role at the federal level, making way for younger politicians at the state level, which encompasses handling local and municipal issues.
Besides the three big coalitions, Parti Bersama Malaysia which is led by two former federal ministers Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, have fielded 15 candidates in mostly urban seats.
Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) is contesting four seats while The Socialist Party of Malaysia and Orang Asli Party of Malaysia will be contesting one seat each. There are also six independents whose candidacies were approved on nomination day.
The election commission confirmed that the contests will see 14 straight fights involving two candidates, 27 three-way contests, 12 four-way fights and three five-way battles.
BN GOES TRIED AND TESTED
Incumbents BN, who are defending 40 seats, have fielded a team of candidates, of whom many are recognised and tried and tested leaders to Johoreans, said analysts.
Among them are Johor caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi, 47, who will be defending his Machap state seat in a straight fight against PH’s Nor Hafiz Roslan, 41, who is a youth exco member for Parti Amanah Negara.
Out of Onn Hafiz’s team of 11 incumbent state executive councillors, 10 have been fielded again, including local government and housing member Mohd Jafni Shukor, 54; investment, trade and consumer affairs member Lee Ting Han, 36; and works, transportation and infrastructure member 39-year-old Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.
A notable figure who was named for BN is former health minister Adham Baba, 63, who is being fielded in the seat of Pasir Raja.
Speaking to reporters after his candidacy was confirmed in Machap on Saturday, Onn Hafiz said that he was satisfied that the nomination process for all 56 seats had gone smoothly on Saturday morning and expressed hope that the campaign will carry on with the same “harmonious momentum”.
On his contest with Nor Hafiz, Onn Hafiz said: “In this election, anything can happen so we will campaign by giving the best to persuade voters.”
A senior official from BN told CNA on condition of anonymity that the coalition is keen to increase its majority in the state assembly by pumping “heavy resources” to clinch the seats of Bukit Kepong and Puteri Wangsa specifically.
Both seats are contested by big names from PN and PH respectively, with Bersatu’s Sahruddin Jamal, a former Johor chief minister, looking to defend Bukit Kepong while PH’s Maszlee Malik, a former education minister, is contesting Puteri Wangsa where MUDA is the incumbent. Both candidates are 51-years-old.
In recent weeks, there have been talks of cooperation between the country’s two largest Malay-Muslim parties PAS and the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin party for BN.
Earlier this month, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man urged UMNO to collaborate, expressing willingness to revive a defunct political alliance pact Muafakat Nasional.
However, Onn Hafiz maintained earlier this week that BN would be contesting the polls solo and would not have pacts with any parties.
PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar then said that it was “important” that PAS “move forward” and not dwell on the matter since there are “bigger challenges ahead”.
Despite this, analysts said that PN’s decision to not contest in 23 seats, including nine seats held by PH incumbents, would boost BN’s chances in wresting them from PH.
The nine seats are Tangkak, Bentayan, Penggaram, Mengkibol, Perling, Skudai, Bukit Baru, Senai and Johor Jaya.
Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Malaysia-based think tank Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said that the ethnic Malay voters in these seats would “most probably go to BN”.
“The Malay voters who are not BN supporters will likely vote for BN compared to PH candidates,” he added.
While he stressed that there was likely no formal pact between BN and PN for the Johor polls, he said that the alliance between PAS and UMNO could come to the fore in the upcoming Negeri Sembilan polls on Aug 1, where the margin of seats won between PH and BN are expected to be razor thin.
“In Negeri Sembilan, with some help from PAS, it can push UMNO to win the state elections,” said Azmi.
James Chin, who is Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania, told CNA that cooperation between PAS and UMNO could be in play in Johor “to kill off Bersatu”.
While PAS and Bersatu are contesting under the same PN banner for the Johor polls, the two parties are campaigning separately after PAS said on Jun 8 that it wanted to end its cooperation with Bersatu.
IS PH’S REFRESHED LINE-UP A GAMBLE?
Meanwhile over at the SMK Taman Dato Onn nomination centre in Johor Bahru, PH candidate Maszlee Malik, told reporters that the coalition will campaign “as effectively as possible” to persuade Johorean voters, including those who work in Singapore, to return home and cast their ballots.
“This is because they are not only voting for the right party, but also for their own future, the future of their children and grandchildren, and the future of Johor,” said Maszlee.
“We want Johor to be aligned with the federal government because this will bring balanced, equitable and more sustainable development,” he added.
Maszlee is from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), led by Anwar.
DAP will be contesting 17 seats for the Johor polls, PKR 20 seats while Amanah is contesting 19 seats.
While Maszlee is a recognised name among PH’s candidates, the rest of the slate comprises many younger politicians making their election debut, especially for PH’s main component party, the DAP.
This includes Johor Jaya’s Lee Wern Yiing, 30, who is taking over the mantle from the incumbent Liow, Felicia Poh, 28, who is being named as a candidate for Penggaram to replace veteran Gan Peck Cheng who will be retiring and Gan’s private secretary Shazwan Dzainal Abidin who will be contesting in Parit Raja.
Chin told CNA that it is not a surprise that PH is not fielding candidates like DAP’s Liew since the focus of these individuals should be on federal matters.
“He is a deputy minister so his attention should be focused on that, “ said Chin.
Meanwhile, Azmi said that PH’s decision to field new faces and drop recognised ones may backfire.
“They are putting out younger blood but this may be a gamble as voters want stable hands. Maszlee Malik is one example of a recognised name but there are not many others on their list to offer to Johoreans,” he added.
Political observer Ong Kian Ming, who is adjunct professor at Taylor’s University, echoed similar sentiments, saying how voters react to PH refreshing its ranks could be one of the main themes for the polls.
“Will this come back to ‘bite’ the DAP and PH because of the lack of ‘big names’ being fielded in the state seats especially with Liew Chin Tong, former Johor Jaya assemblyman Liow Cai Tung and former Mengkibol assemblyman Chew Chong Sin not contesting?” he said.
Ong, who is a former federal lawmaker for DAP and former deputy minister for investment, trade and industry, added that another key theme to look out for is the fierce contest between BN and PH in Johor and how it could also impact their ties at the federal level.
“(What to observe keenly is) how this may lead to other political developments that could expedite a general election later this year,” he added.
Additional reporting by Izzah Aqilah Norman
Source: CNA/am(ao)
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