COMMENT | When the Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 1, Negeri Sembilan followed four days later.

The contests were dismissed as scheduled state elections, but they are nothing like that. Coming barely halfway through the federal term, there is no general election forcing the timing.

This is the first occasion since 2022 on which the Pakatan Harapan and BN partnership must defend itself before voters as more than a marriage of convenience.

Both Harapan and BN will heed the state elections’ outcomes as a verdict on whether the unity government is a durable settlement or a ceasefire that has outlived its usefulness.

The stakes are high because...