JOHOR BARU, September 30 – Perikatan Nasional (PN) has accepted its defeat in the Mahkota state assembly by-election, acknowledging that the seat has historically been a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold. PN’s election director, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, noted that despite PN’s efforts, the BN candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah secured a commanding victory with a 20,648-vote majority.
Azmin emphasized that while PN candidate Mohamad Haizan Jaafar was well-received, BN’s success was largely due to their extensive use of state and federal resources. Despite the loss, Azmin pointed out that PN’s vote count remained consistent, underscoring the coalition’s solid support base. He also called for an investigation into the lower voter turnout, which dropped to below 54%, urging efforts to boost voter participation in future elections.
