A total of 172 candidates have been nominated for the 16th Johor state election, with most seats heading for multi-cornered contests.
PETALING JAYA: A total of 172 candidates will contest the 16th Johor State Legislative Assembly election after the nomination process concluded today at 56 nomination centres across the state.
Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said all nomination papers submitted were accepted, with no candidates disqualified during the nomination process.
In a statement today, Ramlan said the candidates represent various political parties and independent groups, with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) fielding the highest number of candidates at 56 each, followed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 33 candidates.
Other parties contesting the election are Parti Bersama Malaysia (15 candidates), MUDA (four), Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (one), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (one), while six candidates are standing as independents.
Most constituencies will witness multi-cornered contests.
According to the EC, 33 state seats will see five-cornered fights, 27 will feature three-cornered contests, 12 will have four-cornered contests and 14 constituencies will witness straight fights.
Of the 172 candidates, 138 are men and 34 are women.
Candidates aged between 40 and 49 form the largest group, with 50 contestants, followed by those aged between 50 and 59 (48), 30 and 39 (38), 60 and above (27), and 21 to 29 years old (nine).
The youngest candidate is 23 years old and is contesting the Johor Lama seat under Pakatan Harapan, while the oldest candidate is 73 years old and will contest the Stulang seat under Perikatan Nasional.
The official campaign period began immediately after the close of nominations today and will continue until 11.59pm on July 10.
Ramlan said the EC has deployed 56 Election Campaign Enforcement Teams (PP-KPR) to monitor campaign activities throughout the campaign period.
He added that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Johor has also activated five 24-hour operations rooms to receive complaints related to corruption and abuse of power during the election campaign.
Ramlan reminded all candidates to comply with election campaign regulations and local authority requirements, including rules governing campaign materials.
He stressed that campaign materials containing elements that incite hatred, racism or religious sensitivities are strictly prohibited.
