KUALA LUMPUR — Barisan Nasional (BN) retained its stronghold in Johor with a resounding victory in the Mahkota by-election. BN’s first-time candidate, Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah, secured a landslide win, garnering 27,995 votes, or 79% of the valid ballots, against his Perikatan Nasional (PN) rival Mohamad Haizan Jaafar, who received 7,347 votes.
The victory was a significant endorsement of BN’s dominance in Johor, with Syed Hussien thanking voters, particularly Chinese voters who strongly supported BN in the Dorset district. BN’s supermajority in the Johor state assembly, controlling 40 of 56 seats, remains unchallenged. This win also signals the strengthening of the alliance between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH), part of the federal unity government.
Analysts noted that Johor’s more urban and progressive electorate is less receptive to PN’s religious and ethnic narratives, which are prominent in the northern regions of Malaysia. This by-election victory solidifies Johor as a BN stronghold, with political observers highlighting the growing acceptance of BN-PH cooperation, especially between UMNO and DAP supporters. The appeal of Syed Hussien, a youthful, Mandarin-speaking candidate, was seen as a key factor in the victory.
The by-election was held following the death of the previous assemblywoman, Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain, who had won the seat in 2022. Despite the decisive win, Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi emphasized that “there is still a lot of work to do.”