KUALA LUMPUR: The outcome of the upcoming Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections should not be viewed as a trigger for Putrajaya to call a snap general election, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Azalina, who is also Umno information chief, said the federal government's mandate and stability should not be tied to state election results, as Malaysia's constitutional framework allows different political coalitions to govern at the federal and state levels.
"The party president (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamid) has consistently said that state elections in the two states will not affect the federal government.
"Ultimately, the decision rests with the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Only he can decide whether to call a snap election.
"Whatever happens at the state level should not affect the federal government," she said in an interview on Monday (July 6).
The Election Commission (EC) has set July 11 and Aug 1 as polling days for the Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections respectively.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said nominations for the Johor state elections would take place on June 27 with early voting on July 7. As for Negri Sembilan, nominations are on July 18 with early voting on July 28.
"We have already been working with Opposition-led states, including Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perlis, and that has not stopped the Madani government from functioning.
"If you look at Sabah, for example, Warisan supports the Prime Minister at the federal level but is in the Opposition at the state level.
"The composition of a state government does not necessarily determine how Putrajaya functions," she said.
When asked whether a Madani 2.0 administration would emerge after the next general election, Azalina said it would ultimately depend on the electoral outcome.
"I think voters today are quite discerning. They will make their own choices," she said.
Azalina said coalition governments could become a more common feature of Malaysia's political landscape as voters appeared less inclined to hand overwhelming mandates to a single coalition.
