JOHOR BAHRU: A total 239 candidates will be contesting in the Johor state election.
Election Commission Chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Salleh said the qualified candidates comprised 202 men and 37 women.
“A total of 223 candidates from 10 political parties and 16 independent candidates are eligible to contest in the Johor state election on March 12,” he said.
He said 2.5 million voters would cast their votes at the polls which involved 56 state seats.
“From the figure, Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) each have 56 candidates, while Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) are fielding 42 candidates and Pakatan Harapan (PH) with 30,” he said at a press conference held at the Persada International Convention Centre here yesterday.
“Besides that, PKR are fielding 20 candidates, followed by 16 independent candidates and seven from the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda),” he said.
Meanwhile, six candidates are from Parti Warisan (Warisan) and four candidates representing Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM). Both Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) fielded one candidate each.
The campaign period for the Johor state election has officially begun and will end at 11.59pm on March 11.
The EC has set March 12 as the polling date for the Johor state election and early voting will be on March 8, targeting a 70 per cent voter turnout.
The Johor state election is the fourth being called after the 14th General Election (GE14) after that of Sabah in September 2020, and Melaka and Sarawak, late last year.
