Jailed Gaza hospital chief in life-threatening condition, rights group says

Elyas Abu Safia says his father can barely breathe or speak after more than 555 days in Israeli prison.

Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safia, appears via videolink at the Israeli Supreme Court hearing in Jerusalem, June 10, 2026 [Reuters]

By Elis Gjevori

Published On 5 Jul 20265 Jul 2026

The son of a prominent Palestinian doctor abducted and held by Israel without charge has issued an urgent appeal for his father’s release, warning that his health has sharply deteriorated after more than 555 days in prison, as a rights group warned that his life was in danger.

Elyas Abu Safia, the son of Dr Hussam Abu Safia, said in a video message on Sunday that his father, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, showed signs of severe abuse after Israeli authorities transferred him to solitary confinement in a maximum-security prison.

Recommended Stories

list of 3 items

• list 1 of 3Trump hints Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu may visit US as early as next week
• list 2 of 3Lebanon’s Aoun calls on US to keep ‘always standing beside’ his country
• list 3 of 3Iran’s China envoy vows ‘special’ Hormuz treatment for ‘friendly’ countries

end of list

“The day before yesterday, the lawyer Nasser Odeh managed to visit my father, where he told us painful details about this visit,” said Elyas, who is also a doctor.

“My father was unable to breathe. My father was unable to speak,” he said, adding: “His face was disfigured from the marks of torture and pain, and the blood he endured inside the prison, especially after the last court session held in Jerusalem.”

Israeli forces arrested Abu Safia at work on December 27, 2024, as they intensified their attacks on northern Gaza’s healthcare system as part of the genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. Two months earlier, an Israeli drone attack killed another of his sons, Ibrahim, at the entrance of the hospital where he worked.

Elyas accused Arab and Muslim leaders of abandoning his father.

“You deprived us even of your voices, your solidarity and your support, which should have been there from the start of the detention,” he said.

“But sadly, your silence is a betrayal and a crime, and complicity in torturing my father and the hostages inside Israeli prisons,” he added.

2:34

‘The most shocking testimony’

Physicians for Human Rights Israel warned that Abu Safiya’s life is in immediate danger after his transfer to the Rakefet section of Nitzan prison.

The group said lawyer Nasser Odeh visited Abu Safia on July 2 and documented severe injuries, signs of assault, difficulty breathing and repeated loss of consciousness. It said guards brought him into the visit with his hands and feet bound and surrounded him with masked officers.

Odeh also saw fresh bruises and injuries on Abu Safiya’s head, around his eyes, ears and neck. The wounds were so severe that the lawyer struggled to recognise him, the group said.

“The information we received raises serious and immediate concerns for Abu Safiya’s life. The lawyer’s testimony is among the most shocking we have heard since the beginning of the war: a man detained without charge tells his lawyer that he believes they will kill him, after he arrived for the visit injured, suffering from difficulty breathing, and on the verge of losing consciousness,” Naji Abbas, director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights, told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Israeli authorities have not filed charges against Abu Safia. They classified him as an “unlawful combatant”, a designation Israel has used to hold Palestinians for prolonged periods without trial.

Physicians for Human Rights has demanded his release, along with other imprisoned Palestinian doctors. In March, United Nations experts also called on Israel to free Abu Safia immediately and ensure he receives medical care.

He is one of 14 Palestinian doctors from Gaza currently held by Israel without charge.

 

Photo of abused Palestinian detainee causes anguish for two Gaza mothers

Disturbing image showing restrained detainee adds to agony of two mothers, each of whom is certain the man is her own missing son.

A Palestinian man from Gaza lies blindfolded, stripped to his underwear and restrained face down on a cot while in Israeli custody [Social media via Reuters]

By Reuters

Published On 5 Jul 20265 Jul 2026

A leaked photograph showing a Palestinian detainee blindfolded, stripped to his underwear and severely restrained has caused anguish for two mothers in Gaza.

While the Israeli military has acknowledged the photo is genuine, it has not identified the man or disclosed where he is being held.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 items

list 1 of 4

Israel’s Netanyahu directs army to seize 70 percent of Gaza Strip

list 2 of 4

Palestine weekly wrap: Jerusalem Day, Nakba mark week of surging attacks

list 3 of 4

Israel’s Smotrich calls for settlements, ‘conquest’ of Gaza Strip

list 4 of 4

Rally for Luxembourg teacher fired over pro-Gaza posts

end of list

That has added to the agony of the two mothers, Rana Abu Nassar and Joudeh Al-Ghou, each of whom is absolutely certain that the man being mistreated ⁠is her missing son.

The photo was originally posted on Instagram by a user whose account appears to have since been deleted. It featured the words “good morning” written in Hebrew.

In the screenshot, which had the words “good morning” in Hebrew written over it, the man’s hands are bound behind his back, his right foot tied to the bottom corner of a cot. A wooden rod is bound to the back of his body, running from his right foot up to his neck. His face is mostly obscured.

The Israeli military said it had identified the incident and that an inquiry was under way. A spokesperson quoted by Reuters said that “those involved will be dealt with in accordance with the findings” and said that the treatment depicted in the photo “does not align” with the military’s values.

Rana Abu Nassar, mother of Palestinian prisoner Osama Abu Nassar [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Abu Nassar said that from the moment she saw the photo two days ago, she knew it was her son Osama.

“I know the details of his body. He has swelling in his foot and scars on his leg – the same swelling on his left leg I saw in the picture,” she told Reuters.

She said that was the first image of him she had seen since he was arrested in March in an area near ⁠the so-called “Yellow Line”, demarcating Israeli control within Gaza.

His arrest on March 19 gained international attention because he was detained along with ⁠his one-year-old child, who was released the same day with what his family said were cigarette burn marks on his legs.

His mother said Osama suffers from mental health issues and that a “normal person would not take his son to that area” near the “Yellow Line” where Israeli forces frequently open fire on Palestinians.

Israel’s military rejected allegations that its forces abused Osama’s ⁠son. It said the marks on the boy’s legs were the result of warning shots troops fired to compel Osama not to approach the “Yellow Line.”

Joudeh Al-Ghoul, mother of Palestinian prisoner Ameen Al-Ghoul [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Joudeh Al-Ghoul, whose son Ameen was arrested in November 2023 while trying to travel from southern ⁠Gaza to the enclave’s north, also said she recognised the man in the image from the moment she saw it.

“It’s him – his hair and chin. He is my son. A mother’s heart can recognise her son. I hugged the mobile phone and started crying,” she told Reuters from a displaced persons camp in Gaza City. “He is my son, my soul, my life.”

The families’ plight highlights a broader crisis facing Palestinians in Israeli custody. Currently, some 1,200 Palestinians from Gaza are being held in Israel under the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law.

The controversial law allows for the unlimited detention of individuals suspected of participating, directly or indirectly, in hostile acts.

Amani Sarahneh of the Palestinian Prisoners Society said that since the ‌image’s ‌release the organisation has submitted both men’s names to the military in order to try to get lawyer visits with them.

“Visits do take place, but with great difficulty. The coordination process takes a very long time,” Sarahneh said.

OPINION | The Malays Still Need Protecting After Decades, What Have Their Leaders Been Protecting?

Malaysia's #1 Content Aggregator


OPINION | The Malays Still Need Protecting After Decades, What Have Their Leaders Been Protecting?


5 Jul 2026 • 1:00 PM MYT

Annan Vaithegi
From sharing insights to creating content that connects and inspires

Picture from Google Gemini's Image Generation (Nano Banana)


Tun, with respect: before you ask Malays to vote as Malays, answer this first in your 22 years in politics, and the fortune you built along the way, how many Malays did you personally lift up? Not the country in the abstract. Not slogans about Ketuanan Melayu or Tanah Melayu. Actual people. How many Malay entrepreneurs, professionals, or families can point to their success and say, "Tun Mahathir did this for me, from his own hands, his own money, his own mentorship"?



If the answer is a long list, let's hear it. If it isn't, then the call to "protect the Malays" by voting along racial lines starts to look less like conviction and more like a fishing line cast every election cycle, baited with identity, reeled in for power.


The same question belongs at Hadi Awang's door. You have spent decades telling Malays that voting for you protects Islam and protects the race. Fair enough but decades is a long time. How many Malays, under your influence and your party's rule in the states you've controlled, have actually been "spoiled" rather than uplifted? How many opportunities squandered, how many communities left no further ahead than when you started? If the protection was real, we should be able to see it. Where is it?



Here's the part that really doesn't sit right with me: why does a majority need this much protecting in the first place?


Malays are roughly 60% of this country. They are not a besieged minority clinging to survival in someone else's homeland. So when leaders frame every election as an existential fight to "protect" the Malays, I have to ask protect them from what, exactly? From the 40%? From competition? Minorities in this country don't hold the levers of government, the civil service, the GLCs, or the land. If anyone should be nervous about being out-voted or out-maneuvered, logically it isn't the majority.



And here's the part that really undercuts the whole argument: the Chinese and Indian communities built what they have with none of this scaffolding. No quotas reserved for them in university intake. No guaranteed equity carve-outs in GLC land deals. No civil service preference. They grew their businesses, sent their children to university, and built generational wealth largely on their own precisely the "sink or swim" conditions that Malay leaders insist would be catastrophic for the Malays. If the absence of protection didn't stop them, the theory that Malays cannot survive without it deserves a much harder look.



And Tun, you know this better than most, because you lived the contradiction yourself. In 2018, it wasn't Malay unity alone that put you back in Putrajaya for a second stint as prime minister it was Pakatan Harapan, a coalition anchored by DAP, a party with a Chinese and Indian-majority support base. You needed their votes, their machinery, and their trust to become PM. So when it served your political comeback, working across race was not a threat to Ketuanan Melayu it was the plan. It's only now, years later, that race has become the thing voters are told they cannot cross.



And it's not as if the protections haven't already been built in, generation after generation. Malays have had preferential access to education from school intake to university quotas for decades. They've had preferential access to business licenses, government contracts, and public listings. And now, under the updated Properties Acquisition Guidelines, private companies buying GLC or GLIC properties worth RM20 million and above must hand over 50% Bumiputera equity, up from 30%. That's not a small adjustment that's a doubling down, a fresh injection of economic protection layered on top of everything that came before.



So here's the honest question nobody in power wants to answer: if all this scaffolding has been in place for this long, why hasn't it produced the outcome it was supposed to produce? Why, after all these decades of privilege in classrooms, in universities, in start-up capital, in property, in equity do we still hear that Malays haven't "developed"? Even small businesses today have more grants, more set-asides, more government support earmarked for Bumiputera entrepreneurs than for anyone else. If a boost this large, sustained this long, still isn't enough, maybe the problem was never a lack of protection. Maybe it's worth asking what happened to all the protection that was already given and who, exactly, it actually benefited.


Because if the answer is a handful of well-connected names who now stand on stage telling the rest of the Malays to vote out of fear, then the "protection" was never really about the community. It was about the people asking for the vote.


Annan Vaithegi writes, “a leader's greatest achievement is not convincing people they are forever at risk, but building a society so capable that fear is no longer its political currency.”

The implications of electoral fraud on the Johor State Election

Murray Hunter
Jul 05, 2026


The implications of electoral fraud on the Johor State Election






Information about an attempt to organize electoral fraud in the coming state election has come to my attention. This is a long-planned intervention which could be carried out by a contracted group who would work with elements within the civil service, sympathetic to the party’s cause. What is not known at this stage is which party is involved. The only thing that is known this party will be able to gain cooperation of select people on the ground.

Malaysia’s electoral system has long been a subject of debate, with critics alleging systemic advantages for the incumbent through irregularities in voter rolls, alongside more direct claims of manipulation. As Johor prepares for its state election, concerns about potential irregularities have resurfaced, echoing patterns observed in past national and state polls. While no single party holds a monopoly on such accusations, opposition figures have also faced scrutiny over campaign practices.

Malaysia’s electoral framework dates back to its independence era, with the Election Commission (EC, or SPR) tasked with managing voter rolls, constituency delineation, and polling. Early decades saw relatively smoother processes, but criticisms intensified as the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, dominated by UMNO, consolidated power.

Key issues included malapportionment (unequal voter numbers across constituencies, often favoring rural, Malay-majority areas that traditionally support BN/UMNO) and gerrymandering (redrawing boundaries to concentrate or dilute opposition votes). These practices have allowed coalitions to secure parliamentary majorities without winning the popular vote. In the 2013 general election (GE13), BN won 133 seats despite receiving only about 47% of the popular vote, while the opposition Pakatan Rakyat secured a plurality of votes.

A landmark controversy is Project IC (or Project M) in Sabah during the 1980s–1990s under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. A Royal Commission of Inquiry later examined allegations that hundreds of thousands of Muslim immigrants (primarily from the southern Philippines and Indonesia) were granted citizenship and identity cards to bolster BN’s voter base in the state, shifting its demographic balance. This “citizenship-for-votes” scheme allegedly turned Sabah into a BN stronghold. Similar claims of imported or “phantom” voters have persisted.

Possible
Methods of Alleged Electoral Manipulation

Observers, including groups like Bersih (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections), PEMANTAU, and international monitors, have documented recurring tactics:

Phantom and Duplicate Voters: Inflated or manipulated electoral rolls with deceased individuals, duplicates, or non-residents listed. In GE13 and prior polls, opposition strongholds reported names missing or unauthorized registrations. The EC has faced accusations of poor maintenance of rolls, enabling “phantom voting.”

Allegations of busing or flying supporters (sometimes from Sabah/Sarawak) to marginal constituencies. In 2013, claims included chartered flights for voters, including foreigners.

Concerns over multiple voting, improper handling of postal ballots (often from military/police), and timing issues that disadvantage overseas or urban voters. It should be noted that the dipping of a finger of a voter in ink at the time of voting has eradicated this type of voting fraud.

In GE13, blackouts occurred in several opposition-leaning counting centers, raising suspicions of tampering during tallying.

Over the years, independent observers have frequently described Malaysian elections as “partially free but not fair.”

Johor is an historically BN/UMNO stronghold with significant economic importance (including Iskandar Malaysia development), has seen competitive politics. The upcoming polls feature contests involving PH, BN, and others amid federal-state dynamics and royal influence.

Current concerns of informers mirror historical ones. There are reports of campaign offences (e.g., illegal posters), digital sabotage, fake accounts spreading misinformation, and warnings from ministers about deepfakes or coordinated online efforts. Muda has raised specific allegations of election offences.

While these appear lower-level so far (hundreds of complaints, mostly posters), vigilance is urged regarding voter rolls, polling-day logistics, and potential “phantom” activity in tight seats. This is were any attempts to sway the election with voter fraud could occur. Only a few hundred to a couple of thousand votes in these seats will be enough to alter the electoral outcome.

People must be aware.

OPINION | Mahathir's Race-Based Politics Again? A Statesman Unites a Nation, Not Just One Race

Malaysia's #1 Content Aggregator


OPINION | Mahathir's Race-Based Politics Again? A Statesman Unites a Nation, Not Just One Race


5 Jul 2026 • 3:00 PM MYT

Kpost
Operation Consultant who is a keen observer of politics and current affairs

Image Credit: Kpost | Illustration generated by Chatgpt

A true statesman is remembered for bringing people together, strengthening national unity, and building a future that benefits every citizen regardless of race, religion or background.


History often judges leaders not only by the roads they build or the economies they manage, but by whether they leave behind a more united nation.



Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again stirred controversy after urging Malay voters to support only Malay candidates in future elections, regardless of political party. In his Facebook post, Mahathir argued that Malays must remain loyal to fellow Malays if they wish to preserve Malaysia as "Tanah Melayu", warning that failure to do so could eventually leave Malays "stateless."



Such remarks have reignited long-standing criticism that Mahathir continues to rely on racial narratives to mobilise political support, even decades after leaving office. Many would agree that portraying elections as a racial struggle risks deepening divisions in Malaysia's already diverse society rather than encouraging cooperation among its people.


Malaysia's Constitution already recognises the special position of the Malays and Bumiputera while simultaneously protecting the legitimate rights of all other communities. The country's founders envisioned a nation where different races could coexist under one flag, with political leaders serving every Malaysian instead of championing only one ethnic group.



Many believe that asking voters to choose candidates solely based on race undermines democratic values. Elections should ideally be contests of integrity, competence, vision and public service - not ethnicity. A capable representative should earn support because of leadership qualities and policies, regardless of racial background.


Mahathir himself has repeatedly acknowledged that Malay disunity has weakened the community. During his political career, he led several different parties, including UMNO, Bersatu and Pejuang, while political realignments contributed to further fragmentation within Malay politics. Some observers therefore argue that blaming others for Malay divisions overlooks the role that constant political splits have played over the years.



Beyond race, Mahathir has also earned a reputation for publicly criticising many of his own political successors, often questioning their leadership after they assumed office. This pattern has contributed to prolonged political instability, with successive administrations facing relentless attacks from their predecessor instead of receiving constructive support during national challenges.


Supporters may view Mahathir as a defender of Malay interests. However, his detractors may argue that repeatedly framing politics through racial lenses risks alienating fellow Malaysians and weakening the sense of shared national identity that is essential for long-term stability.



Malaysia's future will ultimately depend not on which race wins an election, but on whether its leaders can inspire confidence across every community. Great leaders protect the interests of all citizens. A true statesman builds bridges between races, strengthens national unity, and leaves behind a legacy that future generations can proudly inherit - not one remembered for deepening divisions in an already diverse nation.


By: Kpost

Ramasamy: DAP can be against Bossku receiving royal pardon but PMX is a recipient, too

Ramasamy: DAP can be against Bossku receiving royal pardon but PMX is a recipient, too

By Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy
03/07/2026

DOES it really matter whether the DAP has a stand or not on former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak?


Recently, DAP’s secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the party would not compromise on the stand it has taken on Najib. DAP supports the court decision that convicted Najib in the 1MDB scandal.


It is perfectly alright for DAP to hold on to this so-called principled stand. Nobody is asking DAP to water down its position.

The question is really not whether Najib should have been convicted or not but whether he should be pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Editor’s Note: The issue was sparked by former DAP Skudai state assemblywoman Marina Ibrahim who recently cried foul over what she alleged as double standards on Najib after a party leader supported the idea of granting him a royal pardon as well as allowing him to serve his sentence under house arrest.

Marina Binti Ibrahim

last Tuesday

Penat.

Penat mendengar perkara yang sama berulang kali.

Setiap kali pilihan raya semakin hampir, isu Najib pasti akan dimainkan semula. Cakap pasal benda lain lahh..

...See more

8.5K

909

1.2K

Artikel terjemahan dari 南洋商报 Nanyang Siang Pau yang bertajuk,“人民是棋子，下棋的是政客！ 玛丽娜手撕从政者“大局观”.Rakyat ialah buah catur, yang menurunkan catur ialah para ahli politik! Marina mengoyak-ngoyak pemain politik yang “melihat gambaran besar”

Ketika kempen pilihan raya negeri Johor bermula sepenuhnya, Marina, bekas ADUN Skudai yang baru-baru ini mengumumkan persaraannya telah mengeluarkan kenyataan panjang hari ini mendedahkan kisah dalaman di sebalik keputusannya untuk "berhenti sepenuhn...

See more

226

34

25

Of course, there are talks and, lately, rumours that Najib stands a chance of being fully or partially pardoned, including the possibility of serving the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

When it comes to the question of a royal pardon, DAP has no say. It is the prerogative of the Agong.


Where are DAP’s principles?

If DAP is so adamant and principled on Najib’s position, it should not forget that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was also a convicted person.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook (left) with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim


He could become the head of government because he received a royal pardon. If DAP has such a principled stand on Najib, why did it form a coalition government with Anwar as the PM?

Should DAP given its principled stand on not having any relationship with convicted individuals take the decision to end its cooperation with Anwar?

Both Anwar and Najib were convicted but Anwar was pardoned. Shouldn’t Najib also be considered for a royal pardon?

Is DAP against the exercise of the royal pardon is something over which the party has no say whatsoever?

It is perfectly alright for the party to have a firm stand on Najib but it should not talk about principles. DAP sacrificed its principles a long time ago.

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy


If UMNO was that objectionable to the DAP, why are both parties in the same federal government? Shouldn’t DAP be thinking of quitting the government?

Whatever happened to DAP’s sacrosanct principle of “Malaysian Malaysia” – the political mantra that was often invoked in the past to defend the rights of non-Malays?

Is it still part of DAP’s constitution? Or has it been sacrificed in the pursuit of power, position and perks?

If DAP could be removed from the electoral map of Sabah in the recent elections, the question is whether the party can hold its ground in Peninsular Malaysia. – July 3, 2026



Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

PMX mocked for re-affirming “I’m still PM of the day” regardless of Johor state polls’ outcome

PMX mocked for re-affirming “I’m still PM of the day” regardless of Johor state polls’ outcome

PAKATAN Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim found himself stepping on the tail of staunch Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters when be rebutted their aggressive campaign with the notion that his premiership position will not be affected by outcome of the July 11 Johor state election.


“If (PH) wins the Johor state polls, I’m the PM, even if it loses, I’m still the PM. I say this not to be arrogant but as a reminder of the need to speak carefully,” he spoke at the Kita Genk Madani X Anak Muda Bukit Batu programme in Taman Tropika, Kulai yesterday (July 4) afternoon.


I’m not here to stir up a quarrel but to tell you not to worry about projects such as highways, Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, Elevated Automated Transit Line (E-ART) which are under federal jurisdiction for we shall implement them.

“But in Johor, low-cost houses for the rakyat or stalls for them to do business is under the state government’s jurisdiction, not the federal.

The PKR president further reminded Johorians, especially the young, not to be influenced by the incitement of racial hatred as if a change of the Johor state government will put the fate and future of the Malays in jeopardy.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (seated) in the company of some Kulai senior folks with Bukit Batu PH-PKR candidate Arthur Chiong Sen Sern

“There are those who claimed that the Malays will be wiped out if there’s a change in (state) government. I’ve been PM for more than three years, so have the Malays been wiped out?” he jibed.


‘Road to XPM-ship’

However, PMX found himself mocked by detractors who ironically comprised so-called UMNO ally at the federal level but enemy at state level who worse still, enjoy the backing of PAS diehards in what is deemed as a secret UMNO-PAS pact.

The ground feel of “a desperado is speaking in the final chapter of his reign” filled the comment section of the MalaysiaGazette Facebook video of PMX’s speech which has amassed 714K views, 21K likes and 8.7K comments at the time of writing.


“Speech from a genius who has forgotten that there is another sky above the sky,” philosophised a commenter with another wondered if he (PMX) felt that “he’s already falling”.

Few commenters reminded PMX not to be big-headed given his position was “courtesy of charity (thanks to the formation of the unity government as opposed to winning the national polls)” while one summed up the entire self-assessment as “Road to XPM”.

“Such are the words of a PM? ” chided one commenter with another taking a swipe at Madani backers for believing in what came out of PMX’s mouth.


Some commenters belittled PMX as if he felt himself inferior to Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi till he has to publicly re-affirm his stature while others remind him “not to eksyen (slang for being boastful)” given he “is still the PM even when oil prices having spiralled”.

The bottom-line as one social media-savvy commenter put it, “the laughing emoji says it all

Earlier, PMX snubbed the Johor government’s decision to dissolve its state assembly early by contending that an early election was no guarantee of a bigger victory for BN.

“They think that by calling the election early, they will win more seats. Not necessarily,” he asserted. “The earlier they hold it, the more they may lose.”

Recall that the Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 5 which is about 15 months before its term was due to expire.

For the upcoming state polls, PH is fielding candidates in all 56 state seats, comprising 20 candidates from PKR, 19 from Amanah and 17 from DAP.

Overall, the Johor state election sees a total of 172 candidates contesting with polling day set for July 11 and early voting on July 7.

SEMENT