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Record 596 candidates in Sabah polls, all seats see multi-cornered fights with one 14-way race

CNA Malaysia | English | News | Nov. 17, 2025 | UndeterminedPolitics and Elections

A record 596 candidates are contesting in the 17th Sabah State Election for 73 seats, with all constituencies witnessing multi-cornered fights, including one with 14 candidates competing. The candidates comprise 74 independents, along with representatives from major parties such as Parti Warisan (73), Parti Impian Sabah (72), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) (55), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) (46), Barisan Nasional (BN) (45), Perikatan Nasional (PN) (42), and Parti KDM (40). Pakatan Harapan, led by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has fielded 22 candidates. The candidate pool includes 525 men and 71 women, ranging in age from 24 to 86 years.

Campaigning is set to run for 14 days until 11.59pm on November 28, ahead of voting on November 29, with early voting on November 25. Over 1.7 million registered voters in Sabah will participate. The election follows the official dissolution of the state legislative assembly on October 6. Of the 79 assembly seats, 73 are elected, and six are appointed by the governor.

A major election issue centers on a recent Kota Kinabalu High Court ruling that found the Malaysian federal government acted unlawfully by not providing Sabah its 40 percent entitlement from federal revenue for nearly five decades. The federal government’s Attorney-General’s Chambers will not appeal this ruling and will begin negotiations with Sabah’s state government. Analysts view this as a strategic move to ease political tensions ahead of the polls and demonstrate the commitment of peninsular-based parties to Sabah, potentially boosting their electoral prospects.

The Sabah election is also a test for the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim, which seeks a Putrajaya-friendly state government capable of collaborating on the contentious 40 percent entitlement issue. This election is the first in a series of significant state polls before Malaysia’s 16th General Election, which must be held by 2028, including upcoming polls in Melaka, Johor, and Sarawak.

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