The 2025 Sabah state election, formally the 17th Sabah general election, was held on 29 November 2025. All 73 seats were contested to elect members of 17th Sabah State Legislative Assembly. No constituencies were added or removed in a redistribution from the previous election.
Incumbent Chief Minister Hajiji Noor led his Gabungan Rakyat Sabah majority coalition government to seek a second five-year term. GRS was primarily challenged by WARISAN, led by state opposition leader Shafie Apdal. Other parties such as Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, KDM, Perikatan Nasional, STAR, SAPP, UPKO, Parti Impian Sabah, and other minor parties and independents also contested in this election.
The state election resulted in a hung assembly for the second time since the 2018 Sabah state election. GRS won the most seats in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly with 29 seats.
Background Traditionally, state elections are held simultaneously with the parliamentary election but each state can decide when to hold its election. This is because state assemblies are dissolved by their respective ruler or governor on the advice of the chief minister of the state.
The pre-election state government led by Hajiji was formed following the 2023 Sabah political crisis, where UMNO Sabah had attempted to engineer the formation of a new government by retracting its support for Hajiji in the state legislative assembly. The attempt failed and resulted in the exclusion of UMNO and Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BESATU) from GRS and the state government. Pakatan Harapan, with whom Hajiji's GRS was allied at the federal level, was instead brought into the state government.
In the lead-up to the election, GRS and Pakatan Harapan agreed to an electoral pact to avoid contesting against each other. Unhappy with the decision, GRS component parties STAR and SAPP left the coalition and contested the election together. Separately, UPKO exited Pakatan Harapan, citing differences in understanding, particularly over issues of state rights and autonomy, as well as frustrations surrounding the political leadership of Pakatan Harapan's Sabah chapter.
The state election was held against a backdrop of increased nationalist or regionalist sentiment, encapsulated by the "Sabah for Sabahans" slogan, related to the state's fight for autonomy, including over the issue of revenue sharing. Other prominent issues included a mining license corruption scandal, which implicated members of the ruling GRS alliance as well as the federal government through a series of secret recordings made by businessman Albert Tei released over the course of a year.
Electoral system
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/Premier 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 73 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 Sabah, generally persist between elections, and member parties do not normally contest for the same seats.
The voting age is currently 18. Elections are conducted by the Election Commission of Malaysia, which is under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Department. Malaysia practices automatic voter registration but does not practice compulsory voting.
Preparations On 27 March 2024, State Chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN) and United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) of Sabah Bung Moktar Radin dismissed the possibility of Sabah BN to work with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
Hajiji meanwhile, said that GRS is open to collaboration from other parties, but insists that the preference is working together with Pakatan Harapan (PH), who joined the Sabah government after BN withdrawal during the 2023 Sabah political crisis. Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) also were interested in cooperating with GRS for the elections, but according to its president Shafie Apdal, its invitation to discuss such collaborations were turned down by GRS several times.
Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional (PN) have announced its intention to contest all 73 state seats in its first foray into the state, the move which led to Sabah Progressive Party's (SAPP) exit from PN, as announced by party leader Yong Teck Lee in December 2024, as SAPP insists that only party which has origins in Sabah are allowed to contest the election. SAPP will contest the election under GRS, the local coalition which it is a component in parallel with PN since 2020. This is the first time PN contesting the election under its own banner, although its component party Sabah BERSATU have contested and won seats before, under PH (PKR) and GRS in the 2018 and 2020 state elections respectively. PAS and GERAKAN also have contested in Sabah before, with GERAKAN having won seats under BN banner.
On 15 December 2024, Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM), through its President Peter Anthony also confirmed that the party would contest the election as a party, without being in a coalition and working together with other parties, targeting 43 state seats. Anthony, who is also the Melalap MLA however, announced that he would not contest the election and defend the Melalap state seat in the election, in view of the pending appeal to his court case. After Peter loses his final appeal on 4 March 2025 and sentenced to jail immediately, the party moved on 7 March 2025 to appoint his daughter Priscella Peter as the acting President.
On 15 January 2025, PN, through its Deputy Chairman Hamzah Zainudin launched the slogan 'Kasi Bagus Sabah' (Make Sabah Great Again in English) as part of its preparations for contesting the election.
On 16 January 2025, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), through its President Wee Ka Siong, confirmed that the party would contest in the election.
On 2 October 2025, the Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has left the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition. However 5 of STAR MLA decided to stay with GRS for the election, and were expelled from STAR.
On 6 October 2025, Chief Minister Hajiji Noor officially announced the dissolution of the 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly.
United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) announced on 10 November 2025 that it has exited the PH coalition and will contest under its own banner, a day after its leader, Ewon Benedick resigned as federal cabinet minister.
Campaign slogans +PartySloganGabungan Rakyat Sabah Kita Jaga Sabah Hebatkan Sabah Sabah Maju Jaya Rumah Kita Kita JagaBarisan Nasional Radu Tatap Radu Demi Rakyat Demi Sabah Kita Bikin Balik SabahHeritage PartySelamatkan SabahPakatan HarapanHarapan Urang Sabah (PKR & AMANAH) Bikin Sabah Lagi Mantap (DAP) Roket Di Sabah Maju Bersama (DAP)Perikatan Nasional Kasi Bagus Sabah Perikatan Nasional Baik, Perikatan Nasional BestUnited Progressive Kinabalu OrganisationSabah FirstGerakan Bersatu Sabah (STAR & SAPP) Sabah For Sabahan Justice For SabahSocial Democratic Harmony PartyMisompuru Tokou
Timeline The key dates are listed below. DateEvent6 October 2025Dissolution of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.16 October 2025Issue of the Writ of Election15 November 2025Nomination Day15 - 28 November 2025Campaigning Period25 - 28 November 2025Early Polling Day For Postal, Overseas and Advance Voters29 November 2025Polling Day
Departing incumbents The following members of the 16th Sabah State Legislative Assembly did not seek re-election. No.State ConstituencyDeparting MLACoalition (Party)Date confirmedFirst electedReason N24 Tanjung Keramat Shahelmey Yahya BN (UMNO) 12 November 2025 2020 Not seeking re-election (MP for Putatan) N29 Pantai Manis Mohd Tamin Zainal 9 November 2025 Dropped by party N51 Sungai Manila Mokran Ingkat N52 Sungai Sibuga Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supain 19 January 2025 Died in office N71 Tanjung Batu Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy 12 November 2025 Not seeking re-election (MP for Kalabakan) N14 Tamparuli Jahid Jahim 13 November 2025 2004 Dropped by party N35 Sindumin Yusof Yacob 12 November 2025 2018 N67 Balung Hamid Awang 2020 N42 Melalap Peter AnthonyKDM 4 March 2025 2018 ImprisonmentN19LikasTan Lee FattPH (DAP) 8 November 20252018 Dropped by partyN20Api-ApiChristina Liew Chin JinPH (PKR)9 November 20252013 N40 Bingkor Robert TawikSTAR 13 November 2025 2018 Not seeking re-election N44 Tulid Flovia Ng 12 November 2025 2020 Dropped by party N26 Moyog Darell LeikingWARISAN Not seeking re-election N62 Silam Dumi Pg Masdal 2018 Dropped by party
Incumbents contested in different party State ConstituencyMLACoalition (Party)First electedFormerlyCurrentN08PintasanFairuz RenddanIndependent2020N23PetagasAwang Ahmad Sah Awang SahariIndependent2020N38PaginatanAbidin MadingkirSTAR2018N41LiawanAnnuar Ayub AmanSTAR2020N45SookEllron Alfred AnginSTAR2018N54KaramuntingGeorge Hiew Vun Zin PH (PKR)2018N70KukusanRina JainalIndependent2020
Incumbents contested in different constituency MLACoalition (Party)State ConstituencyFirst electedFormerlyCurrentWetrom BahandaKDMN06 BandauN05 Matunggong2020Ginger Phoong Jin Zhe PH (DAP)N21 LuyangN19 Likas2018
Incumbents lost re-election in the 2025 election State ConstituencyDeparting MLACoalition (Party)First electedN06BandauWetrom BahandaKDM2020N10UsukanSalleh Said Keruak BN (UMNO)1994N16KarambunaiYakubah Khan BN (UMNO)2020N18InanamPeto Galim PH (PKR)2020N21LuyangGinger Phoong Jin Zhe PH (DAP)2018N25KapayanJannie Lasimbang PH (DAP)2018N38PaginatanAbidin Madingkir2018N41LiawanAnnuar Ayub Aman2020N45SookEllron Alfred Angin2018N54KaramuntingGeorge Hiew Vun Zin PH (PKR)2018N63KunakNorazlinah Arif2018N73SebatikHassan A. Gani Pg. Amir2020
Candidates