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A TOTAL of 596 candidates will contest in the 17th Sabah State Election after the nomination process was completed at 25 nomination centres across the state, this morning.
Election Commission (EC) Chairman, Datuk Seri Ramlan Datuk Harun said the number involved competition for 73 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) seats, reflecting the high involvement of political parties and independent candidates in this year's polls.
"The EC is satisfied with the smooth process and no untoward incidents were reported," he said.
The fiercest competition reaches 14 corners and the candidates consists of 525 men and 71 women.
Harun said the oldest candidate is 86-years-old Thomas Anggan in N40 Bingko while the youngest candidate is 24 years old Syafiq Iqhmal Saharudin, 24, in N62 Silam, both from Parti Kebangsaan Sabah.
Warisan will be contesting all 73 seats, while 74 candidates are independents.
This was followed by Parti Impian Sabah (72 candidates), Gabungan Rakyat Sanah (GRS) 55 candidates, STAR Sabah (46 candidates) and Barisan Nasional (45 candidates).
Perikatan Nasional sent 42 candidates, while Parti Kesejahteraan Demoktratik (KDM) and Pertubuhan Kinabalu Progresif Bersatu (UPKO) sent 40 and 25 candidates respectively, followed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) with 22 candidates.
Based on the breakdown, four seats saw a 13-corner contests while one seat involved 14 corners.
A total of 10 seats involved nine-corner contests; nine-cornered in 10 seats; eight corners (8); seven corners (10); six corners (13); five corners (8); and four corners (2).
The EC has set the official campaign period to begin immediately after the declaration of the contest and will end on November 28, 2025, at 11.59pm.
A total 86 Election Campaign Enforcement Teams (PPKPR) have been established to monitor all activities of the contesting candidates to ensure that the campaign runs smoothly. - November 15, 2025