Sarawak expected to gain 15 new parliamentary seats under proposed redelineation

Sarawak is set to gain 15 additional parliamentary seats through a proposed electoral boundary redelineation, which would increase the number of constituencies from 31 to 46. This would ensure that Sabah and Sarawak collectively hold one-third of the representation in the Dewan Rakyat, currently at 222 seats. The proposed boundary review comes after the Election Commission (EC) submitted the plans to local political parties, with the public display period scheduled to conclude this month.

The last redelineation exercise in Sarawak occurred in 2005, adding three constituencies and raising the total to 31. The Sarawak Legislative Assembly approved the current boundaries in December 2015, which added 11 seats to the existing 71, bringing the total to 82. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously expressed the government's intention to amend the Federal Constitution to provide additional parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak, increasing their representation ratio.

The proposed boundary review also suggests 17 new state constituencies across 14 Sarawak parliamentary constituencies, with name changes for 10 existing constituencies. However, these changes are still in the preliminary stage and require legal processes, including objections and local inquiries. The EC is currently displaying its proposals for public inspection from September 1 to 30, and the state government expects the new seats will not be available for the next Sarawak state election in February 2027.