1991 Sarawak state election

1991 Sarawak state election

← 1987 27–28 September 1991 1996 →

All 56 seats in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly
29 seats needed for a majority
Registered723,743
Turnout505,093 (69.79%)
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Abdul Taib Mahmud Leo Moggie
Party BN PBDS
Leader since 26 March 1981 (1981-03-26) 17 July 1983
Leader's seat Asajaya not contesting
Last election 28 seats, 55.3% 15 seats, 17.6%
Seats before 37 7
Seats won 49 7
Seat change Increase12 Steady
Popular vote 301,067 104,216
Percentage 62.8% 21.7%
Swing Increase7.5% Increase4.1%

Chief Minister before election

Abdul Taib Mahmud
BN

Subsequent chief minister

Abdul Taib Mahmud
BN

The sixth Sarawak state election was held between Friday, 27 September and Saturday, 28 September 1991. This election elected 56 state representatives into the Sarawak State Assembly. This election saw 72.8% of the eligible voters to cast their votes.[1]

Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) fielded candidates for all 56 seats, followed by Sarawak Dayak People's Party (PBDS) (34 seats), Parti Negara Rakyat Sarawak (NEGARA) (28 seats), Democratic Action Party (DAP) (18 seats), and Persatuan Rakyat Malaysia Sarawak (PERMAS) (12 seats). There were 19 independents vying for 16 seats. A total of 167 candidates were successfully nominated on the nomination day.[1]

After the 1987 Ming Court Affair, PERMAS which was founded by Abdul Rahman Ya'kub (the uncle of Abdul Taib Mahmud) continued his final bid with PBDS in this election to topple the Taib led Sarawak BN. Before this, PERMAS and PBDS lost narrowly in the 1987 state election. However, Sarawak BN won with a larger majority this time. PERMAS won none of the seats in this election and was dissolved not long after in 1991.