Malaysia’s Anwar suffers another election loss to BN in Negeri Sembilan

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim suffered a second election setback within weeks on Saturday after his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition lost to rivals in the Negeri Sembilan polls. Official results at midnight showed Barisan Nasional (BN) winning 18 seats, coupled with Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) seven for a supermajority of 25 over PH’s 11 in the 36-seat assembly. The country’s second state election in under a month was a test of the stability of Anwar’s coalition government, as PH locked horns again with federal ally BN at the state level. The latter had partnered with the opposition PN in Negeri Sembilan. The victory for BN-PN was another blow to PH, fresh off its drubbing in the Johor polls on July 11. It could also mean a snap general election called well ahead of the February 2028 deadline. In the last state election in 2023, PH won 17 seats, BN secured 14 and PN won five, with PH and BN partnering to form the state government. BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Saturday night thanked voters for putting their trust in BN’s candidates and the coalition’s machinery, adding that the electoral understanding with PN would produce a stable state government. The Election Commission said final voter turnout was 72.64 per cent, with 646,084 votes cast, including early, postal and normal voters. In the 2023 polls, final voter turnout was 68.35 per cent. Some 860,000 people were registered to vote at 401 polling centres statewide, with 36 state assembly members to be elected from a field of 103 candidates in tight three-way races. Parties contesting centred their campaigns on the economy, jobs and public service. Electoral cooperation between BN and PN has also shaped the battle. While they contested separately, BN deputy president Mohamad Hasan said his machinery would help PN candidates in agreed constituencies under a seat understanding, similar to the strategy adopted in the Johor election. The Johor showdown on July 11 saw BN sweeping 48 seats – up from 40 in 2022, while PH managed only eight and lost ground from its previous 12. BN’s two-thirds majority retained gives it absolute power to pass constitutional amendments and redraw electoral boundaries in Johor. The Negeri Sembilan results also saw surprise losses by PH candidates including Transport Minister Anthony Loke and caretaker chief minister Aminuddin Harun. Loke, also the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) secretary general, lost his seat in Chennah to BN’s Siow Kong Choon by fewer than 500 votes. BN’s Mohd Faizal Ramli clinched Linggi with 8,427 votes to Aminuddin’s 5,881. “This is the straw which breaks the camel’s back – in terms of the party secretary general losing their state assembly seat,” said Oh Ei Sun, principal adviser at Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia and senior fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs. He said DAP would need to do some serious “soul searching”, including distancing itself from PH. “By continuing to associate themselves with this government, they are asking for trouble and will continue this losing streak,” Oh said. DAP, long branded as a Chinese-majority party, forms the largest bloc of PH’s coalition. It is mistrusted by Malays who perceive the party as a threat to the dominance of their ethnic group. Sunway University political scientist Wong Chin Huat agreed that Loke’s defeat could trigger a call from within the party to distance itself from Anwar’s PH to retain its base. “It would be a tough decision either way.” Local media said Loke was considering relinquishing his position as Negeri Sembilan DAP state chairman to take responsibility for the party’s poor performance, but would consult party leaders first. On his national party role as secretary general, however, Loke said he would discuss with the party’s central executive committee. Analysts earlier said that voter turnout, Malay sentiment and whether opposition PN could gain ground in 23 Malay-majority constituencies would determine if PH could still retain power in Negeri Sembilan. “Voter turnout is very critical, especially in the Malay-majority constituency,” Azmi Hassan, senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, told This Week in Asia. Azmi said BN could score support from Malay voters in constituencies where PN was not contesting. “The cooperation between BN and PN could influence voting in Malay-majority constituencies, with PN supporters potentially backing BN candidates where PN is not contesting,” he said. The snap state election was called after months of political and constitutional uncertainty, during which disputes involving the Negeri Sembilan palace coincided with the collapse of the PH-BN state administration after BN withdrew support for Aminuddin. The state legislative assembly was officially dissolved on June 5. Voter Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, 49, who cast his ballot in Paroi on Saturday morning, said he hoped the next state government would be highly competent and of unquestionable integrity. The chief economist at Bank Muamalat Malaysia said Negeri Sembilan’s economic potential and future were untapped. “The state government can play an effective role as an enabler that facilitates a competitive and fair economy for businesses, investors and the man on the street.” More than a verdict on the state administration, analysts say the election has become a test of whether voters approve of how Anwar’s unity government handles issues such as cost of living. The outcome could shape PH’s political trajectory while testing the strength of the BN-PN informal cooperation, adding pressure on how all three blocs would set the stage for any future state contest and ultimately the next general election. “Results and promises matter to voters, and no amount of sentiment will be enough to appease the electorate and sustain continued political dominance,” said Ahmad Mohsein Azman, a senior analyst at BowerGroupAsia. The election tested whether voters were rewarding policy delivery, reform and welfare over traditional political narratives, he said, while the outcome would offer early indication of the direction of Malaysia’s political landscape ahead of the next general election. On whether the BN-PN informal cooperation could be a durable electoral strategy, Ahmad Mohsein said a win for the bloc would “indicate a growing return to the norm of a BN-led Malay political hegemony, despite efforts from the opposition party Bersatu and even PH to fill in that role”. Ahmad Mohsein said BN’s strong showing on Saturday could well carry the so-called blue wave – the coalition’s campaign colours – across the incoming general election given that PH was now fractured and in disarray, while the BN-PN cooperation riding on the Malay-Muslim unity narrative had yielded promising results. “The circumstances we have today would make the blue wave more of a question of when, rather than if,” he said. PH would have to work day and night to bring back its supporters and increase voter turnout in its favour, a factor which had significantly dampened its chances in both Johor and Negeri Sembilan, he added. Additional reporting by Vincent Tan

Malaysia’s Anwar suffers another election loss to BN in Negeri Sembilan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}BN and partner PN secure a supermajority of 25 state assembly seats, out of a total of 36, versus PH’s 11

BN and partner PN secure a supermajority of 25 state assembly seats, out of a total of 36, versus PH’s 11