Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim urged voters in Negeri Sembilan to grant PH a fresh mandate in the 16th state election, aiming to keep Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun as menteri besar. Anwar said, “With that mandate, Tok Min (Aminuddin Harun) can be reappointed as menteri besar,” emphasizing the need for political stability and the welfare of workers and small traders in the state [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Anwar highlighted the strong economic growth in Negeri Sembilan and Johor, where PH governs, saying, “I want to emphasise once again that we govern for the welfare of the people. We want to do our job as best as possible” [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. He also stressed cooperation within the Unity Government, including working with Umno leaders despite political differences, noting, “On my right are Umno leaders, including the deputy prime minister, who is Umno president. We continue to work together as usual because we care about the people” [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
PH launched its Negeri Sembilan election machinery on June 12 and 13, with Anwar, Aminuddin Harun, and senior leaders attending. Aminuddin urged party members to fully support chosen candidates and called for an 80% voter turnout, surpassing the previous 70%, urging those living elsewhere to return and vote [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 5]. He said, “This is a struggle of life and death” and asked, “Please come back and vote if you are living elsewhere” [7].
The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly was dissolved on June 5 with the consent of the Yang Dipertuan Besar. The 36-seat state election is scheduled for August 1, 2026, with nomination day on July 18 and early voting on July 28 [7, 8]. PH previously won 17 seats in the 2023 election, with Barisan Nasional taking 14 and Perikatan Nasional 5 [7].
DAP Negeri Sembilan supports Aminuddin’s continuation as menteri besar and plans to defend its 11 incumbent seats in the upcoming election. DAP secretary-general Datuk Seri Anthony Loke described Aminuddin as a clean and pro-people leader, saying, “Have you ever heard that he abused his power? But Tok Min is a clean menteri besar” [6].
Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied claims of betrayal toward PH, stating, “I do not think there has been any betrayal when the term of a state administration or the federal government has come to an end.” Umno says it will contest Negeri Sembilan independently, ending its previous support for Aminuddin’s administration [8]. Aminuddin however had urged voters to punish Umno for what he described as betrayal [7, 8].
Ahead of the July 11 Johor state election, PH named Arthur Chiong Sen Sern as its first candidate for the Bukit Batu seat. Arthur won the seat in 2022 with 9,439 votes and a narrow majority of 137 votes in a four-corner fight [9, 10]. On June 14, Arthur apologized for wrongly claiming there was no state government allocation for Johor in 2026, withdrawing the statement [11].
Meanwhile, PAS welcomed 15 new members on June 13, including former Umno leaders such as Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, ahead of the Negeri Sembilan polls [12].
The next key dates are the July 18 nomination day and the August 1 polling day for the Negeri Sembilan state election, as parties intensify their campaigns.
