Campaigning for Malaysia's Johor state election is officially under way after candidates filed their nomination papers on Saturday morning. The day marked the formal start of the contest, setting the stage for roughly two weeks of campaigning before voters in the state head to the polls.
Johor was awash in party colours on Saturday as supporters showed up in the thousands, waving flags and chanting slogans while candidates submitted their papers. The scenes underscored the intensity of the contest, with the streets and nomination centres turning into a sea of competing political camps from early in the day.
Senior national and state party leaders were also on the ground to offer their support to candidates, a sign of how much weight the major parties are placing on the outcome. Their presence reflected the high stakes of a state poll that has drawn attention well beyond Johor's borders.
The election commission confirmed that 172 candidates will contest all 56 seats in the state. That figure is fewer than the number who stood in the previous state polls back in 2022, but it nonetheless remains a crowded contest with multiple parties vying across the seats.
Among the main contenders, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan are contesting all 56 seats, putting up full slates across the state. Perikatan Nasional, meanwhile, fielded a total of 33 candidates, while smaller parties and other contenders make up the rest of the field competing for seats in the assembly.
Officials described the nomination process as orderly. One leader said the session had gone smoothly and that reports received from other areas were the same, before wishing all candidates the best and calling for campaigning to continue in a harmonious manner over the coming two weeks.
With nominations now closed and the slates set, attention turns to the campaign trail. Johorians head to the polls on July 11, giving parties a tight window to make their case to voters in a state election that has become one of the most closely watched political contests of the period.