Few Breakout Women In Johor Polls As Parties Stick To Safe Seats, Analyst Says

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The 2026 Johor state election has not produced any particularly standout female candidates despite a relatively strong presence of women fielded by several parties, according to an analyst.

International Islamic University Malaysia political analyst and ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Syaza Shukri said while parties such as DAP appear to have fielded a notable number of women candidates, the overall electoral narrative remains largely centred on party strength rather than individual female contenders.

Syaza said most female candidates in this election are contesting in relatively secure or structurally safe constituencies, limiting the emergence of breakthrough women political figures this cycle.

She pointed to Skudai, where Kartiyaini Jeyapalan, a lawyer by practice, has been fielded by Pakatan Harapan-DAP in place of Marina Ibrahim, noting that the key question is whether she can retain the previous majority secured by her predecessor.

Prof Dr Syaza Shukri. Credit photo: Syaza Shukri X.

However, Syaza said the contest in Skudai is still widely viewed as a relatively “safe seat”, alongside several other constituencies where incumbency and party machinery are expected to play a decisive role.

For MUDA, attention has been directed towards Rashifa Aljunied, the chief of staff to party president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz who is the incumbent Puteri Wangsa assemblyman. Rashifa is now expected to help defend the Puteri Wangsa, although observers remain cautious about the party’s overall electoral prospects in the state.

On candidate switches such as Alwiyah Talib’s move between parties, Syaza said such developments are unlikely to significantly shift voter behaviour, particularly in contests where local issues and incumbent advantage remain dominant.

“In this election, I don’t see it as a major issue of party-hopping in perception terms. State elections are often more candidate-centric and focused on local delivery.”

Alwiyah is the incumbent Endau assemblyman and had just quit Bersatu to rejoin Umno before being subsequently named as Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the constituency.

A total of 172 candidates have been confirmed to contest the 56 available seats in the Johor state election, Astro Awani reported.

Of this number, both BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) are fielding 56 candidates each, followed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 33 candidates, Parti Bersama Malaysia with 15 candidates, MUDA with four candidates, and six independent candidates.

Meanwhile, Parti Orang Asli Malaysia (POAM) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) are each contesting one seat.

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Few Breakout Women In Johor Polls As Parties Stick To Safe Seats, Analyst Says