BN maintains two-thirds win in Johor

Barisan Nasional (BN) has retained power to rule Johor when it obtained a two-thirds majority in the 13th general election (GE13), winning 37 out of the 56 seats in the state legislative assembly.

Despite the big win, the BN stronghold lost more seats in the GE13 compared to the 12th general election.

Johor BN chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said voters in the state had cast their votes based on their emotions and were not rational in GE13.

He said this had caused BN to lose many seats, the worst result in the state to date.

"Voting with emotion has caused polarisation to occur in Johor, especially in urban areas as shown in the results of 13th polls," he told a press conference at Johor Persada Convention Centre here.

Abdul Ghani who contested in the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat lost to DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang with a majority of 14,762 votes.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who was speculated to be appointed as the new Menteri Besar, said the Abdul Ghani's defeat was indeed a major disappointment.

He said BN election machinery in Gelang Patah had done its level best to ensure victory in the 13th polls, but had to accept the loss as fate.

Mohamed Khaled won the Permas state seat by defeating Syed Othman Abdullah of PAS with a 5,752-vote majority.

The BN won 21 out of 26 parliamentary seats in Johor. The five seats that fell in the hands of the opposition are Bakri, Batu Pahat, Kluang, Gelang Patah and Kulai.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin retained his Pagoh Parliamentary seat by defeating Mohd Rozali Jamil of PAS with 12,842-vote majority.

Datuk Dr Seri S.Subramaniam, who is the incumbent of the Segamat parliamentary seat also defeated Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chairman Chua Jui Meng with a majority of 1,217 votes.

The 13th polls also saw a surprise when Dr Mohd Fuad Zarkashi of BN lost to Mohd Idris Jusi of PKR with a majority of 1,732 votes, while Chua Tee Yong, who is the son of MCA president Datuk Seri Chua Sok Lek, won the Labis parliamentary seat beating S.Ramakrishnan with a slim majority of 353 votes.