Johor state assembly dissolved

The Johor state legislative assembly has been dissolved, paving the way for the country’s fourth state election since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

The Johor royal press office said in a statement that Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar had agreed to sign a letter for the dissolution of the assembly following an audience with menteri besar Hasni Mohammad today.

Speculation of yet another state election had been swirling since the death of Kempas assemblyman Osman Sapian last month, which left the Johor government led by Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin Umno with a razor-thin majority of one seat.

In all, BN holds 28 seats while Pakatan Harapan (PH) has 27 seats.

The election to come in Johor follows the recent polls in Sarawak which the Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition won by a landslide, claiming victory in 76 of the 82 seats in the legislative assembly.

In Melaka, the first state to hold an election after the Covid-19 state of emergency was lifted, BN won 21 of the 28 seats it contested.

PH meanwhile won five seats and Perikatan Nasional, two.

Prior to the state of emergency declared in January 2021 to curb the spread of Covid-19, Sabah had held its election as well.

This was marked by a spike in Covid-19 infections caused in part by the movement of voters and election machineries.