Premier : High possibility that upcoming state election will use the 82 Sarawak Legislative Assembly seats

KUCHING, July 5 2026:  There is a high possibility that the upcoming 13th Sarawak State Election (SE13) will use the existing 82 State Legislative Assembly (SLA) seats if the process of adding 17 new seats has not been finalised according to the procedures set by the Election Commission (EC) this year.

Caption: Premier Abang Johari Openg expresses hope that the addition to 99 seats could be realised as soon as all relevant procedures were finalised.

Premier Abang Johari Openg said the state government accepts that the process of adding seats is under the jurisdiction of the EC and must go through every procedure set before it can be implemented.

He said although SLA has passed a Bill relating to the addition of the seats, the process still needs to go through public exhibition, scrutiny of public feedback and other procedures conducted by the EC.

"It will take about seven months if it is from the beginning of the year, seven or six months to complete the process.

"So we accept the EC because our election is a democratic process, it must follow the legal framework under the EC.

"If the time frame is so tight, let's see when we hold the election and when our mandate ends and we'll see the situation," he said.

He said this when met by reporters after the Handover Ceremony of the Sri Satok Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PAWE) Building Construction Fund at the Datuk Amar Hajah Juma'ani Welfare Centre here on Sunday.

He admitted that there was a possibility that the addition of 17 new seats would not be able to come if the process set by the EC was not completed in time.

According to him, the situation did not affect the implementation of the election because SE13 could still be held using the existing 82 SLA seats.

At the same time, he hoped that the addition to 99 seats could be realised as soon as all relevant procedures were finalised.

He also stressed that the state government's priority was to ensure political stability and the continuity of the development agenda for the well-being of the people.

The SE13 is scheduled to be held no later than February 2027 when the term of the existing SLA expires.