SEREMBAN: The Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional pact has emerged victorious in Negri Sembilan after having secured a two-thirds majority in the state polls, bagging 31 out of the 36 seats.
Met at Wisma Umno here, state party chief Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said Barisan won 14 of the 17 seats it contested.
“With this win, Barisan and Pakatan can now form the state government.
“We are grateful to all voters and we are truly humbled by this win,” he said, adding that there would be a post-mortem on the seats it lost.
Big wins: Loke and Aminuddin celebrating their victories. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
Jalaluddin said based on preliminary findings, the party had lost in Bagan Pinang and Gemas as it did not have the support of armed forces personnel.
Barisan also lost another of its stronghold, Serting.
Umno won in Pertang, Palong, Senaling, Sg Lui, Gemencheh, Chembong, Linggi, Kota, Johol, Lenggeng, Seri Menanti, Rantau, Juasseh and Jeram Padang.
As expected, Pakatan’s DAP made a clean sweep of all the 11 seats it contested, 10 of them incumbents.
These were Chennah, Rahang, Nilai, Lukut, Lobak, Temiang, Bukit Kepayang, Mambau, Bahau, Repah and Seremban Jaya.
Its ally, PKR, won five of the six seats it contested.
These were Sikamat, Pilah, Sri Tanjung, Chuah and Ampangan.
However, it lost in Labu.
The other Pakatan party, Amanah, contested in Paroi and Klawang but could only manage to defend Klawang where its incumbent Datuk Bakri Sawir defeated Perikatan’s Danni Rais.
Mohamad Hasan arriving at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur last night. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
It lost Paroi which it won in 2018.
Perikatan secured Gemas, Bagan Pinang, Serting, Labu and Paroi.
Among the big winners was Rantau’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who will be serving his fifth term. Jalaluddin also emerged victorious in Pertang, while the DAP’s Anthony Loke will serve as Chennah assemblyman for a third term.
All three are also MPs – Mohamad has Rembau, Jalaluddin (Jelebu) and Loke (Seremban).
Caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun will be serving his fourth term as Sikamat assemblyman after he won in a four-cornered fight.
Barisan’s candidate for Juasseh, Puan Sri Bibi Sharliza Abdul Khalid, had one of the narrowest of victories when she won with a 78-vote majority against Perikatan’s biggest name in the state polls, Datuk Eddin Syazlee Shith.
Bibi Sharliza is the wife of former mentri besar Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad.
Mohd Isa’s son, Mohd Najib, who stood in Bagan Pinang, lost the seat to Perikatan’s Abdul Fatah Zakaria.
Barisan’s Kota candidate, Suhaimi Aini, also had a slim 135-vote majority in a straight fight against Perikatan’s Ahmad Shukri Abdul Shukor.
Former state executive councillor Datuk Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek, who won the Ampangan seat on a PKR ticket in 2018 but contested as an Independent this time around after he was dropped, was defeated by the PKR’s Tengku Zamrah Tengku Sulaiman.
Pakatan’s Amanah candidate in Paroi, Norwani Ahmat, also failed to defend the seat for her party.
Amanah supporters had earlier protested the decision to drop the incumbent Datuk Taufek Abdul Ghani and there was speculation that some of them had boycotted the election.
Pakatan had contested 19 of the 36 seats, with Barisan candidates standing in the remaining 17.
For Perikatan, Bersatu contested 17, PAS 13 and Gerakan six.
In the last election in 2018, Pakatan won 20 state seats, with the remaining 16 going to Barisan.
