Two fabricated news-style graphics circulated on social media ahead of the Negeri Sembilan snap election: one falsely attributed a statement to Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, and another falsely claimed early vote tallies favoring Perikatan Nasional. Zahid's office and Utusan Malaysia denied the first item, and the Election Commission confirmed early votes would only be counted from 5:00 pm on August 1, 2026. The images were shared across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok amid heightened tensions following an April leadership crisis.
Fake News Graphics Spread Ahead of Negeri Sembilan Snap Election, Authorities Say
Screenshots of the false posts captured on July 31, 2026, with red Xs added by AFP
In the run-up to the snap state election in Negeri Sembilan scheduled for August 1, 2026, social media accounts circulated two fabricated news-style graphics: one falsely attributing a statement to Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO president Zahid Hamidi, and another purporting to show early vote tallies favoring Perikatan Nasional (PN).
What Was Shared
On July 28, 2026, a graphic bearing the Utusan Malaysia logo and a photo of Zahid Hamidi began circulating on Facebook. Malay-language text superimposed on the image attributed a response to PN election director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor that read: "(In response to) Sanusi's statement: UMNO ready to end cooperation, urges members to 'not vote for Perikatan Nasional'." The accompanying caption praised the image as an example of a "true Malay Muslim president."
Statement of the Utusan Malaysia statement on its website
The following day, July 29, a second infographic circulated on Facebook claiming early voting results showed PN leading, with a Malay caption saying: "Praise be to God, the early voting results of the military and police in the Negeri Sembilan state election are very encouraging." Both graphics were shared across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts in the days before polling.
Official Responses And Verification
Zahid's office publicly denied the quotation on July 29, calling the claim "fake," and Zahid himself told local media there was no need for Barisan Nasional (BN) to end its electoral arrangement with PN over Sanusi's remarks. Utusan Malaysia also disowned the item, saying it did not publish the report and lamenting the "irresponsible misuse of the Utusan Malaysia logo," which had caused reader confusion.
Screenshot of the Malaysia's Election Commission's statement on Facebook
"The irresponsible misuse of the Utusan Malaysia logo, which has caused confusion among readers, is deeply regretted." — Utusan Malaysia statement
Reverse-image and keyword searches found that the photograph of Zahid used in the fake graphic has circulated since at least November 20, 2022, and previously appeared in an Utusan Malaysia article. Malaysia's Election Commission (EC) likewise rejected the vote-count graphic as false, posting on its official Facebook page on July 29 that early-vote counting would begin only at 5:00 pm on August 1, after voting concludes.
Context And Impact
The snap election followed a leadership crisis in April, when all 14 UMNO assembly members withdrew support for Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun, citing dissatisfaction with his handling of a dispute involving the state monarchy. Screenshots of the fabricated posts—captured July 31, 2026—were circulated with red X marks in fact-check reports.
Comments on the false posts suggested they were intended to inflame ethnic tensions; one read, "Do you see their game? They deliberately want to pit Malays against each other." AFP and other fact-checkers have previously documented similar attempts that use fake news designs to lend credibility to fabricated statements and results.
Bottom line: Both widely shared graphics were fabricated. Zahid's office, Utusan Malaysia and the Election Commission of Malaysia all rejected the respective items as false.
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