Johor state assembly dissolved, paving way for snap polls within 60 days

Johor state assembly dissolved, paving way for snap polls within 60 days The 16th Johor state elections must be held by Jul 31, and it will be scheduled at the discretion of the Election Commission. JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state assembly was dissolved on Monday (Jun 1), paving the way for snap polls to be held within the next 60 days. Speaking during a special press conference held at his home in Johor Bahru on Monday, Onn Hafiz said that the dissolution was signed by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Ibrahim on Monday, with the consent of Malaysia's king and Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. "This dissolution is carried out to make way for the democratic process through the Johor State Election, subject to the official determination of the Election Commission of Malaysia," said Onn Hafiz. "This decision has been made with the intention of ensuring that the people of Johor continue to have a stable and strong government, God willing," he added. Now that the state assembly has been dissolved, the election must be called within 60 days at the discretion of the Election Commission. The 16th Johor state polls must be held by Jul 31. It is the prerogative of the state’s ruler or governor to dissolve the state assemblies on the advice of the chief minister, who is typically from the state’s ruling party or coalition. CNA earlier reported that the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition was preparing for early state elections in Johor and Melaka, quoting sources from within the coalition’s lynchpin party United Malay National Organisation (UMNO). Johor’s state election is only due by mid-2027, while Melaka’s is due by early 2027. Analysts said that if victorious in early state polls, it would allow BN to rebuild momentum independently of the federal unity government, positioning itself more strongly ahead of a general election due by early 2028. There are 56 seats in Johor state assembly, with 40 currently held by BN, 12 by Pakatan Harapan, three by Perikatan Nasional and one by Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA). Although BN is aligned with PH at the federal level, they are rivals at the state level in Johor and Melaka. The Johor state elections are likely to see BN and PH go head-to-head in tightly fought contests. Perikatan Nasional (PN), the main opposition bloc nationally, is seen as a secondary political player in Johor. Last month, all three coalitions BN, PH and PN announced that they would contest all 56 seats in the next Johor polls, setting the stage for potential three-cornered fights across the southern state. Onn Hafiz Ghazi was the first to announce BN’s intention to contest the polls alone and not cooperate with any political pacts. A day later, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that if BN decides to not collaborate in Johor, PH is ready to also contest all state poll seats not only in the southern state, but also in Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Penang and Pahang - as well as potentially call for a snap general election. PH is made up of Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) as well as other small component parties. It is the main coalition in Malaysia’s unity government, which also consists of BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), among other parties. After the last general election in 2022, results led to a hung parliament with no coalition having sufficient numbers to secure a simple majority. Anwar was sworn in as the new prime minister after securing the support of BN and other blocs in East Malaysia. Since then, BN and PH have worked together in by-elections as well as in state elections. However, the ties between the two coalitions have been strained recently when 14 UMNO assemblymen in Negeri Sembilan withdrew their support in April for chief minister Aminuddin Harun over his handling of a crisis involving the state’s monarchy. Furthermore, the two coalitions have been trading barbs in Johor over electoral issues such as BN’s move to pass a Bill in the state assembly to appoint five non-elected assemblymen as well as PH’s call for redelineation of electoral boundaries in seats with a high number of voters. In addition, UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has proposed a grand collaboration of Malay-Islamic parties, which observers say indicates a willingness for UMNO to forge ties with the likes of PAS - which is now in the federal opposition - to form the next government. Its a surprise becuase I thought Melaka would come first, Johor UMNO seemed to be more ready for the elections, especially since the MB announced akk the 56 state seats before the PH convention in JB, it is a tell tale signs confidence is building up in Johor umno, MB is taking the opportunity, Johor umno is strong and quite stable at this junncture, they are confident wiht PH's help and the turmoil in PN still not yet resolved, PH and DAP with the latest turmoil involving Marina Ibrahim, it gives UMNO Johor advantage