KUCHING: The just-concluded 12th Sarawak state election tonight saw two Deputy Chief Ministers, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, retain their seats, in Bukit Saban and Bukit Sari, respectively.

In the election results announced tonight, both Uggah and Awang Tengah, who contested as the coalition candidates in three-cornered fights, defeated their respective opponents with ease.

Uggah defeated his two opponents in Bukit Saban with a majority of 3,988 votes, against Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) candidate Andria Gelayan who garnered 1,385 votes, and Mikhail Mathew Abdullah of PKR who obtained only 136 votes and lost his deposit.

Uggah, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president, contested the Bukit Saban seat for the first time in the 11th state election in 2016, and won it in a straight fight against PKR candidate Noel Changgai Bucking with a majority of 4,599 votes.

In LAWAS, Awang Tengah, who is also PBB deputy president, defeated his two challengers after obtaining 6,385 votes, a 5,636-vote majority, thus seeing him retain the Bukit Sari seat for the eighth term.

His challengers - Alias Mail of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Riyah Basarah of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) only managed 749 votes and 165 votes respectively.

Awang Tengah has served as Lawas assemblyman from 1997 to 2001 and then in Bukit Sari (2006-2016), including winning unopposed in 1996 and 2016.

-- BERNAMA