The 17 additional seats approved for Sarawak’s state assembly are unlikely to be ready for the next state election, the Election Commission says. The distinction matters: the July 2025 vote expanded the assembly from 82 to 99 seats on paper, but electoral boundaries still have to be reviewed before the new constituencies can be used. The Commission expects that review to continue beyond February 2027, when the current assembly term expires. Its chairman made the assessment during a visit to the proposed-boundary-review exhibition at Kuching North City Hall on Thursday. The Commission has received 18 objections so far. They include proposed changes to polling-district centres and constituency names in Sarikei, Bintulu and Sibu. Those matters are still under examination, so the new boundaries are not yet settled. For Sarawak voters, the immediate takeaway is that a passed seat-expansion bill does not by itself determine the map used at the next poll.

Sarawak’s proposed state constituency maps will go on public display from Sept 1, opening a one-month window for representations on the Election Commission’s redelineation plan. The proposal covers 17 additional seats and several renamed constituencies; if eventually approved, the State Legislative Assembly would grow from 82 to 99 seats. Notices are to appear in The Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo, while exhibition boards, draft reports and maps are planned at selected city halls, municipal councils and district offices across the state’s 31 parliamentary constituencies. The EC’s proposed venues include Kuching North City Commission (DBKU), Kuching South City Council (MBKS) and Padawan Municipal Council—three separate local authorities, not one generic ‘Kuching council’. The display is not the final boundary map and does not by itself mean the next state election will use 99 seats. The proposal still needs approval by Parliament and gazettement before it can take effect. Representations may be made within one month after the notice is published, but the eligible groups are specific: the state government, an affected local authority, or a body of at least 100 people whose names appear on the current electoral rolls of the constituencies concerned. Kuching and Samarahan voters should check the displayed documents for the exact map, venue and submission procedure rather than rely on earlier leaked versions.