Kota Kinabalu: Candidates in the 17th Sabah state election have started gathering and marching to their respective nomination centres this morning, as campaigning for the state polls officially begins today.
A very crowded field is expected in the Nov 29 state election, with allies also expected to clash in “friendly contests” as they vie for the 73 seats up for grabs at the polls.
While Pakatan Harapan (PH) has reached separate electoral pacts with ruling state coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Barisan Nasional (BN), it is still set to clash with both coalitions in a few seats.
BN and GRS, meanwhile, are not teaming up for this state election, though they remain aligned with the unity government at the federal level.
Upko — which left PH recently — Warisan, Perikatan Nasional (PN), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) are also fielding candidates.
Upko and Warisan also back the federal government. A total of 1,784,843 Sabahans are eligible to cast their ballots. Early voting will be held on Nov 25 while polling day is on Nov 29.
The electoral roll comprises 1,760,417 ordinary voters, 11,697 military personnel and their spouses, and 12,729 police personnel and their spouses.
