PETALING JAYA: All 15 candidates of Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) contested in Johor state election on Saturday (July 11) lost their election deposits, said party president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli (pic).
In a statement on Sunday (July 12), Rafizi said based on the information available so far, Bersama candidates obtained an average of between 3% and 6% of the vote.
"This means all Bersama candidates have lost their deposits as they did not achieve the minimum 12.5% of votes required," he said, adding that the party had also fallen short of its internal target of avoiding deposit losses and securing at least 15% of the vote.
Rafizi said an initial analysis pointed to a significant swing in support towards Barisan Nasional across voters of different age groups and ethnic communities.
He added that candidates from other parties, including Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional, Bersama and Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, were also affected by the shift in voter support.
Rafizi said Bersama would conduct a detailed review of the election results to improve its approach in winning public support in future elections.
He thanked the voters who placed their trust in Bersama's candidates, despite the party being so young.
Rafizi also thanked the party's candidates, members, volunteers and supporters for their commitment throughout the campaign.
He said a modest appreciation event would be held at Bersama’s new headquarters once it is ready for use in about two weeks.
Although the Johor election results did not favour the party, Rafizi said the campaign experience would help strengthen Bersama, which is now 52 days old.
"God willing, we will continue working and hope that Malaysians will one day be open to accepting Bersama," he said.
