THE battle for the seat of power in Putrajaya starts today. Thousands of candidates, most backed by their powerful parties and coalitions, some from smaller parties, and independents, will be filing their nomination papers for the general election from 9am to 10am.

They will be filing their papers at 222 nomination centres located at district offices, community halls and schools.

Candidates will compete for the 222 parliamentary seats and state seats in Perak (59), Pahang (42) and Perlis (15).

Nominations for the Bugaya by-election in Sabah will also be held at the same time.

The Election Commission has set November 19 for polling and November 15 for early voting. The 14-day campaign period starts today, immediately after the announcement of candidates contesting in the polls, until 11.59pm on November 18.

The election has been a long time in coming, from the way the Umno leadership has been pressuring the government to call for an early election since last year.  

For a long time, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his ministers had staved off the pressure by saying the time was not right due to Covid-19 pandemic and economic downturn, preferring to hold it at the end of the current term in July next year.

However, Umno continued to pressure Ismail to dissolve parliament, which he finally did on October 10.

Opposition parties said the early polls were called by Umno to save its court cluster leaders, those facing criminal trial, including party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Then the opposition also cried foul, because the polls would fall during the monsoon season, which may affect voter turnout.

This season’s monsoon is supposed to be bad, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

However, Umno and Zahid got their way, judging by the way he has dropped prominent party members seen to be critical of him.

In 2018, a total of 2,333 candidates filed their nomination papers parliamentary and 505 state seats, when all state assemblies were also dissolved.

This year, even with fewer state seats, the number of candidates looks set to exceed that.

This election is set to see multiple candidates in all seats, with coalitions such as Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, Muda, Gerakan Tanah Air, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak going head-to-head.

There are also individual parties in the fray, including Warisan, Parti Bangsa Malaysia, Parti Sosialis Malaysia, Parti Rakyat Malaysia, plus other smaller parties from Sabah and Sarawak.

There is also a group of independents under the Gerak Independent movement, as well as other personalities wanting to stand on their own.

As such, it is unlikely that any candidate can win uncontested by the end of nomination period today.

The electoral rolls contain some 21.2 million voters.

Of this number, 20.9 million are ordinary voters, 146,737 are armed forces personnel and their spouses, 118,794 are police (including the General Operations Force) and their spouses, and 2,741 are absentee voters abroad.

This is also the first election to see the Undi18 voters taking part.

The Malaysian Insight will carry the nominations live. – November 5, 2022.

10.53am: Deepak Jaikishan is standing in Klang as an independent. He was originally Getakan/Perikatan Nasional’s candidate for Pulai in Johor.

The favourite for this seat is Pakatan Harapan’s V. Ganabatirau, who replacing veteran MP Charles Santiago.

10.51am: Five candidates will compete for Gombak. Mohamed Azmin Ali from Perikatan Nasional (PN) will be opposed by Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, representing Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Barisan Nasional (BN) is nominating Megat Zulkarnain Omardin with Jamaludin Mhd Tahir, with representing Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA).

Zulkifli Ahmad is standing as an independent candidate.

Electoral officer Nor Azlina Abd Aziz has confirmed the nominations.

Meanwhile, Annuar Musa – dropped by Umno as its candidate to defend Ketereh – is seen with his replacement, Marzuani Ardila Ariffin, head of Kelantan Umno’s youth wing.

Marzuani is due to face Perikatan’s Khlir Mohd Nor and PH’s Rahimi Muhamud in the election in two weeks’ time.

10.41am: Titiwangsa will be a four-horse race between Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Pejuang with elections officer Firdzaus Said making the announcement.

Pakatan Harapan’s Khalid Abdul Samad will be opposed by Umno Supreme Council member Johari Abdul Ghani (BN).

Pejuang is nominating Khairuddin Abu Hassan and dentist Dr Rosni Adam is the Perikatan Nasional candidate.

Rina Harun is the current MP – winning in 2018 with a majority of 4,139 votes – but this time, she will be standing in Sepang on a Perikatan Nasional ticket.

10.34am: Five candidates for Seputeh: Lee Kah Hing (Barisan Nasional), Wong Yee Yeng (Perikatan Nasional), Choy San Yeh (Cermin Mata), Teresa Kok (Pakatan Harapan) and Lee Wai Hong (Arnab).

10.30am: Four candidates to compete in the Kuala Nerus hot seat, with elections officer Mohd Azizi Zulkifli making the announcement.

Incumbent Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, who is currently contesting on a Barisan Nasional ticket, will be challenged by PAS candidate, Terengganu exco and also veteran state leader Alias Razak.

PAS supporters boo Khairuddin when his name is announced.

Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan is represented by Suhami Hashim and the Putra candidate is Azaha Wahid.

Khairuddin is defending a majority of 8,447 votes.

10.21am: Sepanggar will witness five candidates fighting it out: Incumbent MP Azis Jamman (Warisan) will be challenged by Yakub Khan (Barisan Nasional), Mustapha Sakmud (Pakatan Harapan), Jumardie Lukman (Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Malaysia) and Yusof Kunchang (Gerakan Tanah Air).

10.14am: Independent and visually impaired candidate Habib Bourguiba Abd Hamid, 53, from Kampung Datuk Keramat, fails to submit his nomination form after arriving late at the Titiwangsa nomination centre.

Arriving two minutes after closing, Habib says he left his house at 8.50am and arrived late due to road closures.

“I made the decision to run as an independent candidate to fight for the fate of disabled people, orphans and the elderly,” he says to reporters.

“When the closure announcement was made, I was walking towards the centre. If I can’t file the nomination, I will contest the decision,” he adds, agreeing to leave the centre peacefully.

“I will go viral later.”

10.05am: Gombak will witness a clash between incumbent MP Mohamed Azmin Ali, now representing Perikatan Nasional (PN), and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari (Pakatan Harapan).

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional (BN) will field Megat Zulkarnain Omardin with Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) proposing Aziz Jamaludin Mhd Tahir.

Celebrity Azwan Ali withdraws from running as an independent candidate at the last minute.

Electoral Commission managing officer Nor Azlina Abd Aziz declares the process closed at 10am.

No GTA supporters are visible at the nomination centre.

PH supporters are seen chanting: “Kita Boleh, Hidup PH” as well as call to oust the “traitors”.

PN supporters counter with: “Gombak Juara, Perikatan Nasional.”

Meanwhile, BN supporters chant: “Hidup BN” and also sang the Barisan Kita song.

The nomination process has so far gone smoothly without any untoward incidents.

10am: Centres have now closed for nominations. Nationwide, returning officers begin announcing the names of candidates.

9.56am: Parti Rakyat Malaysia candidate Nageswaran Ravi submits his form for the Sepang constituency.

9.55am: Just before the nomination closes, independent candidate Nurhaslinda Basri, 33, makes her way into the Sungai Buloh nomination centre. It is still unsure if her application will be accepted.

If it is accepted, then there will be seven candidates in this constituency.

9.54am: Anwar Ibrahim appears confident of winning in Tambun.

“We will achieve victory,” he said.

Earlier he and his rival from Perikatan Nasional, Ahmad Faizal Azumu, arrived at the nomination centre at about the same time.

However, Faizal’s group faced jeers from the Pakatan Harapan supporters who shouted “pengkhianat (traitor)”.

“It’s typical of them. I am quite alright with it,” Faizal told reporters.

9.51am: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Petra Jaya MP Fadillah Yusof is in the nomination centre at SMK Petra Jaya.

So far, candidates from Barisan Nasional, PAS, and Pejuang parties are present at the nomination centre in Kuala Nerus.

Barisan Nasional candidate, Khairuddin Aman Razali arrived and submitted his candidate form at 9.15am.

He was accompanied by former Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman and proposed by Umno division chief Apli Yusoff.

Despite the rain, it did not stop approximately 2,000 PAS and BN supporters from gathering outside the nomination centre to show their support.

9.50am: Seven candidates in Sepang

Three women’s wing leaders have submitted nomination forms to run for Sepang at the nomination centre in Dewan Serbaguna Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi.

They are Rina Harun representing Perikatan Nasional (PN), Wanita Amanah Aiman Athirah Sabu (Pakatan Harapan) and Wanita Pejuang Che Asmah Ismail.

Four other candidates have also put their names forward: Anuar Basiran (Barisan Nasional), Mohd Daud Leong (Parti Utama Rakyat), M. Muneshwaran and Mohd Syahrul Amri Mat Sari (both independent).

Sepang was won by PH’s Hanipa Maidin in 2018, but the lawyer was dropped by Amanah and will not contest this time around.

9.49am: Despite competing in the same arena, the four Titiwangsa parliamentary candidates have been friendly with each other at the nomination centre.

Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Johari Abdul Ghani, who arrived at 8.52am, embraces his Pejuang opponent, Khairuddin Abu Hassan (Pejuang), witnessed by PAS (Perikatan Nasional) candidate Rosni Adam.

The three share a friendly chat as they waited for the centre to open.

Amanah (Pakatan Harapan) candidate Khalid Abdul Samad arrives at 8.59am also mingled with his competitors as they all entered the centre.

Rosni arrives at 8.11am, with Khairuddin arriving at 8.40am.

So far, these are the only candidates for Titiwangsa with centre managing officer Firdzaus Said to formally announcement all candidates at 10.30am.

9.40am: It will be a five-horse race in Pandan as PKR’s Rafizi Ramli stands for re-election against former MCA president Ong Tee Keat, Barisan Nasional’s Leong Kok Wai, Perikatan Nasional’s Muhammad Farique Zubir Albakria and GTA’s Nadia Hanafiah.

All the candidates have filed their papers.

9.36am: Seven candidates will stand for the Sepang constituency: Che Asmah Ismail (Pejuang), Rina Harun (Perikatan Nasional), Anuar Basiran (Barisan Nasional), Aiman Athirah Sabu (Pakatan Harapan), Mohd Daud Leong (Parti Utama Rakyat), Muneshwaran Muthiah (Bebas) and Mohd Syahrul Amri Mat Sari (Parti Bahtera Sejahtera).

9.28am: Pakatan Harapan supporters in Gombak chant: “Reformasi, kita boleh, lawan tetap lawan.”

9.23am: Barisan Nasional supporters in Gombak pray and chant the slogan “Hidup Barisan” while waiting for candidates to submit nomination forms.

9.19am: Six Sungai Buloh candidates are inside the nomination centre filing their papers.

9.13am: The Election Commission has just announced that the nomination for the Batu constituency has officially opened.

Supporters from Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional, Warisan, Pejuang and independent candidates have been arriving since 7.30am in droves.

A roughly 500-strong crowd of grassroots supporters were seen brandishing their party flags and chanting slogans.

Police have blocked Jalan Ipoh and cordoned off areas leading to the nomination centre at SMK Sentul Utama.

Supporters are waiting for their candidates to emerge after putting in their nomination.

9.08am: PKR President Anwar Ibrahim arrives at the nomination centre in Tambun, Perak.

9.01am: Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for Titiwangsa, Khalid Abdul Samad, arrives at SMK Aminuddin Baki, Kuala Lumpur.

8.57am: Titiwangsa candidates from Barisan Nasional, Pejuang and Perikatan Nasional pose for photos at SMK Aminuddin Baki, Kuala Lumpur.

Warisan candidate for Batu, Nathan Pillai, arrives at nomination centre.

Sungai Buloh MP R. Sivarasa arrives at the nomination centre to show his support for new Pakatan Harapan candidate R. Ramanan.

He said voting for Barisan Nasional candidate Khairy Jamaluddin is indirectly backing Umno chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“Khairy as an individual is nothing but the people have to look at who he represents. That is relevant.

“Who does he represent? Zahid. Who is Zahid? Someone that is about to be convicted as criminal.

“That is who Khairy brings here and represents. Voters should look at that,” he said.

Sivarasa is confident of PH’s chances, siting the coalition’s track record in the constituency.

8.46am: Perikatan Nasional candidate Mohamed Azmin Ali arrives at SMK Sg Pusu, Gombak. Pakatan Harapan supporters chant: “traitor”.

Batu MP P. Prabakaran arrives at the nomination centre. Supporters chant “hidup Pakatan”.

8.42am: Pejuang candidate, Khairuddin Abu Hassan, with Perikatan Nasional candidate, Rosni Adam have arrived at the nomination centre at SMK Aminuddin Baki, Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.