PETALING JAYA: In a stunning reversal of fortune, Barisan Nasional has clinched victory in the Nenggiri by-election in Kelantan, snatching the seat PAS won in last year’s state election.
Barisan candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani secured 9,091 votes, while Mohd Rizwadi Ismail, who ran under the PAS banner, 5,739 votes.
Mohd Azmawi won with a 3,352-vote majority.
Before the Election Commission (EC) announced the official results last night, an unofficial tally was shared by Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki via a Facebook livestream from Barisan’s Nenggiri operations room.
The atmosphere in the operations room was electric, with supporters jubilantly celebrating their party’s success with cheers, chants and applause.
Nenggiri has 20,259 registered voters and based on the EC’s recorded turnout of 71.87% at 4pm, the threshold for a simple majority was around 7,200 votes.
Barisan had also won 17 out of the 20 polling centres by evening.
The win by Mohd Azmawi, who is state Umno Youth chief, means the unity government coalition of Barisan and Pakatan Harapan now holds three seats in the Kelantan state assembly, while Perikatan Nasional has 42 out of 45 seats.
This by-election marks the first time since the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022 where the incumbent party has lost to a challenger.
Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said its victory in Nenggiri will become the catalyst for more successes for the coalition.
“With this mandate, we celebrate with full humility and realisation that the struggle is still long and the effort to restore the people’s confidence in Umno and Barisan will continue,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Umno president, thanked voters who trusted Barisan to serve the constituency again and the party machinery.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong congratulated the Barisan team and everyone who helped deliver the victory.
“Thank you to the voters of Nenggiri for their confidence and trust in Barisan, as well as to the EC staff, security personnel, and everyone who ensured the by-election ran smoothly.
“YB Awie, best wishes in fulfilling your duties and responsibilities as the people’s representative. The voice of Nenggiri will surely be heard in the Kelantan state assembly,” Dr Wee wrote on Facebook, referring to Mohd Azmawi by his nickname.
Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Perikatan’s operations director for the Nenggiri by-election, conceded defeat, saying that the results showed Barisan had won with a comfortable majority.
“We congratulate the winners. The people of Nenggiri have made their choice and we need to respect that decision,” he posted on Facebook.
The by-election was triggered by the vacancy declared by Kelantan state assembly speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah on June 19, after then Nenggiri assemblyman Mohd Azizi Abu Naim ceased to be a Bersatu member.
Mohd Azizi, who contested under a PAS ticket in last year’s Kelantan state polls, had narrowly defeated Barisan candidate Ab Aziz Yusoff by 810 votes.
Before Mohd Azizi’s win, Barisan had held the Nenggiri seat for four consecutive terms.
During the two-week period, heavyweights from both Barisan and Perikatan were actively involved in their campaigning.
The Barisan side saw appearances from Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Gua Musang division chief Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, while Perikatan brought in coalition chairman and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, along with Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud.
Yesterday’s turnout was 73.9%.
This by-election was the ninth since GE15.
