Awaiting results: Ahmad Faizal arriving at the Perikatan election results viewing party at a resort in Subang. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star
IPOH: Perak Barisan Nasional suffered massive losses in the 15th General Election (GE15).
The coalition lost the majority of its seats, including some that were thought to be Umno strongholds, to Perikatan Nasional, the biggest winner in the state.
These included the Gerik, Padang Rengas, Pasir Salak and Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seats.
Among the state seats that were previously held by Barisan but lost to Perikatan were Changkat Jong, Selama, Chenderoh, Kuala Sepetang, Lubok Merbau, Slim, Kenering, Selinsing, Manong and Changkat Jering.
One of the biggest upsets was incumbent Parit Buntar MP Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa, the state Pakatan Harapan chairman, who lost his seat to Perikatan’s Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki by a 5,395-vote majority.
Mohd Misbahul, a national PAS working committee member, polled 23,223 votes while Mujahid got 17,828.
Barisan’s Imran Mohd Yusof secured 11,593 votes and Gerakan Tanah Air’s Rohijas Md Sharif lost his deposit after getting only 259 votes.
At press time, Barisan was able to defend its Kota Tampan, Behrang and Temengor state seats.
In Tanjung Malim, incumbent MP Chang Lih Kang defended his seat for a second term and won by a 3,541-vote majority.
The PKR vice-president secured 25,140 votes to the 21,599 votes of former Tualang Sekah assemblyman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi of Perikatan and the 20,963 votes of MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.
The other three candidates, GTA’s Dr Amir Hamzah Abdul Rajak (1,032 votes) and independents Datuk Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (609) and Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari (328), lost their deposits.
In Tambun, Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim defeated incumbent Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu. As of midnight, Anwar polled 35,940 votes while Ahmad Faizal received 31,033.
Barisan’s Datuk Aminuddin Md Hanafiah polled 18,299 votes while GTA’s Abdul Rahim Tahir got 760.
In other results, Barisan’s Choong Shin Heng defeated six others to win the Chenderiang state seat, which had previously been won by Ahmad Faizal in 2018.
Choong polled 8,406 ballots for a 2,251-vote majority.
Of the eight parliamentary seats contested by DAP, it won seven with landslide victories.
The party also won 18 of the 19 state seats it contested.
As for PKR, it won the Teja, Tualang Sekah and Simpang Pulai state seats.
With results still trickling in, there was still no clear winner with a majority to form the state government.
Sources believe that Perikatan and Barisan could join hands to form the new state government.
Newly-elected Ipoh Timor MP Howard Lee said Pakatan leaders will hold a meeting on the outcome.
“As the votes are still being tallied, we will need to meet but we have yet to set a time for it. Some results are still not yet official,” he said.
