The 2021 Sarawak state election, formally the 12th Sarawak general election, took place on 18 December 2021. This election was to elect 82 members of the 19th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. The previous assembly was dissolved on 3 November 2021.

Quick Facts All 82 seats in the Legislative Assembly 42 seats needed for a majority, Registered ...

2021 Sarawak state election

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All 82 seats in the Legislative Assembly 42 seats needed for a majority
Registered	1,252,014
Turnout	60.67%
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg Wong Soon Koh Chong Chieng Jen Party PBB PSB DAP Alliance Gabungan Parti Sarawak Pakatan Harapan Leader since 13 January 2017 2015 10 June 2013 Leader's seat Gedong Bawang Assan Padungan Last election 61 seats, 62.18%[nb 1] Did not contest[nb 2] 10 seats, 30.55% Seats before 67 6 5 Seats won 76 4 2 Seat change 9 2 3 Popular vote 457,233 139,515 78,197 Percentage 61.26% 18.69% 10.48% Swing 0.92% 18.69% 20.07%
Chief Minister before election Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg GPS–PBB Elected Chief Minister Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg (Later Premier) GPS–PBB

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As the previous assembly first sat on 7 June 2016, it was originally set to be dissolved automatically on 7 June 2021. However, the 2021 state emergency declaration, preceded by a federal 2021 Malaysian state of emergency declaration nationwide, arising from the 2020–22 Malaysian political crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended the automatic dissolution of the legislature until the proposed end of the emergency duration on 2 February 2022.^[1][2] On 3 November 2021, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had consented to lift the state of emergency thus the state legislative assembly dissolved automatically and the state election must be held within 60 days after to elect a new state government.^[3]

For the first time as a local coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) won an overwhelming landslide in the election, winning 76 seats and a supermajority over the legislature.^[4] At the same time, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) won four seats, becoming the largest opposition and the first Sarawak-based opposition party to win a seat in an election since 2006. Meanwhile, Pakatan Harapan (PH), however, suffered a crushing defeat, with the Democratic Action Party (DAP) winning only two seats for the coalition, experiencing a decline from seven seats in 2016. Its other component parties, People's Justice Party (PKR) and National Trust Party (AMANAH) lost in all seats contested by the both parties.

Elections in Malaysia are conducted at the federal and state levels. Federal elections elect members of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament, while state elections in each of the 13 states elect members of their respective state legislative assembly. As Malaysia follows the Westminster system of government, the head of government (Prime Minister at the federal level and the Menteri Besar/Chief Ministers at the state level) is the person who commands the confidence of the majority of members in the respective legislature – this is normally the leader of the party or coalition with the majority of seats in the legislature.

The Legislative Assembly consists of 82 members, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), that are elected for five-year terms. Each MLA is elected from a single-member constituencies using the first-past-the-post voting system; each constituency contains approximately an equal number of voters. If one party obtains a majority of seats, then that party is entitled to form the government, with its leader becoming the Chief Minister. In the event of a hung parliament, where no single party obtains the majority of seats, the government may still form through a coalition or a confidence and supply agreement with other parties. In practice, coalitions and alliances in Malaysia, and by extension, in Sarawak, generally persist between elections, and member parties do not normally contest for the same seats.

In general, the voting age is currently 21^[22][23] although the age of majority in the country is 18.^[24] While the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2019, which provided for the voting age to be lowered to 18 and automatic voter registration, was enacted in July 2019,^[25] it was not proclaimed until 1 December 2021, which set 15 December as the commencement date of the amendment, after the voter lists for this election has been finalised.^[26][27][28] Cabinet Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah asserted that prospective voters between ages 18 and 20 who had registered before 2 November are allowed to vote in the election, but this has not been separately verified by the Election Commission.^[29] Elections are conducted by the Election Commission of Malaysia, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department. Malaysia does not practice compulsory voting.

Campaigning in parking lots, open spaces, and large halls with the presence and cheers of hundreds of people has been the norm in previous elections, but the threat of COVID-19 has hindered it this time in the state election.^[34] Because of this, the Election Commission (EC) decided not to allow any physical campaigning, with only 64 of the 82 constituencies with inadequate internet access being allowed to hold talks.^[35] The EC has encouraged all candidates to use social media to campaign.^[36]

Despite the gloomy campaign mood caused by these restrictions, the candidates' campaign machinery has actively hung and put up flags, posters, and banners featuring candidate portraits and party logos, particularly from the opposing political parties.^[37]

The following members of the 18th Legislative Assembly are not contesting the upcoming election.