With 31 parliamentary seats, Sarawak has  traditionally been a stronghold of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.  However opposition gains in the 2011 state elections have challenged the notion  that Sarawak is a fixed deposit state for the coalition in the coming 13th  General Elections.

For Current Affairs, Kathleen Tan speaks to Associate Professor Dr Andrew  Aeria, Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at  the Faculty of Social Sciences, University Malaysia Sarawak on political issues  and elections in Sarawak.﻿

Among the topics  discussed are:

- the  relationship between the Sarawak state government and the federal government  and how  this relationship  has evolved throughout the years 

- how communal based politics have been an influence in  Sarawak

- the  extent related  role and responsibilities of the Electoral Commission, such as delineation and  proportion of seat size, affect electoral outcomes in the state

- what are the different voting preferences of the urban vs  rural populations in Sarawak

- what is the Sarawak people’s  perception of the government and level of  awareness on institutions such as the Electoral Commission, and if the recent  rallies in Peninsular for free and fair elections have an influence on their  voting preference

- if  there were any developments since the 2011 state elections which may be relevant for the  eminent  general elections

With 31 parliamentary seats, Sarawak has traditionally been a stronghold of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. However opposition gains in the 2011 state elections have challenged the notion that Sarawak is a fixed deposit state for the coalition in the coming 13th General Elections. For Current Affairs, Kathleen Tan speaks to Associate Professor Dr Andrew Aeria, Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University Malaysia Sarawak on political issues and elections in Sarawak.﻿ Among the topics discussed are: - the relationship between the Sarawak state government and the federal government and how &nbsp;this relationship &nbsp;has evolved throughout the years - how communal based politics have been an influence in Sarawak - the &nbsp;extent related role and responsibilities of the Electoral Commission, such as delineation and proportion of seat size, affect electoral outcomes in the state - what are the different voting preferences of the urban vs rural populations in Sarawak - what is the Sarawak people&rsquo;s &nbsp;perception of the government and level of awareness on institutions such as the Electoral Commission, and if the recent rallies in Peninsular for free and fair elections have an influence on their voting preference - if &nbsp;there were any developments since the 2011 state elections which may be relevant for the &nbsp;eminent general elections

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