MARANG: Perikatan Nasional has retained control of Terengganu, giving it a historic second term in the oil-rich state.As of press time, unofficial results showed that Perikatan has captured 25 out of the 32 state seats, and is leading in at least five more.
A political coalition needs at least 17 seats to form the state government with a simple majority.In the 14th General Election (GE14), PAS only managed to win 22 seats but under Perikatan, the coalition is now on track to win close to 30.
Perikatan’s victory in Terengganu appeared to be a veritable “green tsunami” as it captured seats from long-time rival Barisan Nasional with comfortable majorities of more than 2,000 votes.
It also defeated giants from Barisan, including two former mentri besar - Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, who contested the Kijal seat and Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman in Seberang Takir.
Other seats that Perikatan managed to wrest included Barisan’s strongholds of Kuala Besut, Bukit Besi, Telemung, Langkap, Batu Rakit and Permaisuri.
In the seats won in GE14, Perikatan significantly increased the winning margin.
For instance in Ladang, the coalition upped the margin by about 4,300, as compared to the 360 votes in the previous state polls.
PAS officials attributed the massive gains to young voters and those who returned home to vote as reflected in the fact that the state recorded the highest voter turnout out of all six states.
“We were worried at first because in some voting centres, young people had not gone out to vote in the morning.
“Our efforts paid off as we worked very hard until the last hours of the campaigning period to entice them,” said Terengganu PAS Youth leader Harun Ehsan.
“As the polling hours wore on, we were glad that voters made a steady stream into the voting centres to cast their ballots,” he told a crowd of supporters at Dewan Tok Guru in Rusila last night.
