JOHOR BAHRU: Malaysia’s former education minister Maszlee Malik was among the 56 candidates unveiled by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition on Monday (Jun 22) for the upcoming Johor state polls.Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the coalition’s chairman, announced the line-up at Padang Bukit Gambir in Tangkak.The slate features a mix of new faces and experienced leaders from PH’s component parties - Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Amanah Rakyat (Amanah) - local media reported. Although Anwar has yet to name the coalition’s chief minister candidate, Maszlee - who is among the candidates with the biggest profile owing to his previous stint as a Cabinet minister - has emerged as one of the frontrunners for the post, according to local media reports. Maszlee, who will contest the Puteri Wangsa state seat, served as Malaysia's education minister during PH’s first administration under former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad from 2018 to 2020. He was also a Member of Parliament for Simpang Renggam after winning the constituency in the 2018 general election.However, Maszlee failed to retain the seat after losing to former Johor chief minister Hasni Mohammad of Barisan Nasional (BN) during the 15th General Election in November 2022. Prior to that, he was defeated in the Layang-Layang state constituency during the previous Johor state polls in March 2022.