PN retains Kemaman with landslide victory
Samsuri polled 64,998 votes while BN’s Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor polled 27,778.
With a vote share of 70.1 percent, it’s a significant increase from the 58.11 percent achieved by PN during the 2022 general election...
KEMAMAN POLLS | Returning officer Ahmad Farhan Abdul Wahab has announced that Perikatan Nasional’s Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has won the Kemaman by-election.
Samsuri polled 64,998 votes while BN’s Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor polled 27,778.
With a vote share of 70.1 percent, it’s a significant increase from the 58.11 percent achieved by PN during the 2022 general election.
There were 428 spoiled votes. The turnout was 65.7 percent.
10.25pm: This wraps up Malaysiakini's live coverage of the Kemaman by-election’s counting process.
Reports were brought to you by N Faizal Ghazali from Kemaman and supported by Malaysiakini staff Vivian Yap, Adzim Rahman, Hoi Jia Xuan, Lee Way Loon, Wahyudi Yunus, and Nor Zuliantie Dzul-kifli.
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‘Becoming PM is not my objective, but...’
10.20pm: Newly elected Kemaman MP Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar says he never harboured ambitions to be prime minister.
“It has never been my objective when I became a politician to take up such a high position.
“However, in the future, if I am entrusted by the party and the rakyat, I will consider it,” he says.
Samsuri: Our victory opens the door to Putrajaya
9.50pm: Jubilant Perikatan Nasional supporters at Arena Square have been urged to march alongside their new Kemaman MP Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar towards the Election Commission’s tally centre.
Earlier in his speech, Samsuri thanked the party faithful for campaigning for him and said their sacrifice marked a new dawn for their party.
“What we achieved today, this large majority is the result of your work. This is a game-changer. It will open the doors to Putrajaya,” he said.
Similarly, an ecstatic Terengganu Bersatu chief Razali Idris says PN’s victory in Kemaman will have huge ripples.
“This is a signal to Putrajaya. Tomorrow, we will arrive at Putrajaya,” he says.
Vote count still ongoing
9pm: The vote count at the Kemaman Municipal Council is expected to take another hour before the official results can be announced.
Meanwhile, the crowd at Arena Square has swelled to 3,000 and the atmosphere is electric as each update of the unofficial results is met with loud cheers and chants.
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BN concedes defeat
8.30pm: Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki concedes defeat and congratulates PAS for their victory.
He says PN’s victory does not change the political equation as the government bench will still have 152 MPs while the opposition will have 69 MPs.
“Now we can focus on the people’s welfare and boosting the economy. We thank all the loyal BN voters who still have confidence in our struggle,” he writes on his Facebook page.
He urges BN supporters not to be overly disappointed and to continue the coalition and party’s struggle.
Samsuri hailed as PAS’ ‘PM candidate’
8.25pm: The emcee at Arena Square repeatedly refers to Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as PAS’ candidate for prime minister.
Samsuri, 53, is currently serving his second term as the Terengganu menteri besar.
He hails from Besut, Terengganu and has a PhD in aerospace engineering. He was formerly a university lecturer and came to prominence when he served as PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s political secretary in 2008 at the age of 38.
Known in PAS’ circle as “Dr Sam”, he joined the party’s central committee in 2009 and was elected PAS vice-president in 2019.
Unofficial: PN retains Kemaman by a landslide
8.10pm: Malaysiakini is calling Perikatan Nasional’s Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar the winner of the Kemaman polls based on the unofficial count.
With an estimated turnout of 70 percent, the unofficial count suggests that Samsuri has an unassailable lead.
This will likely be PN’s biggest victory ever in Kemaman with a vote share of over 70 percent, improving on its performance in 2022 and 2018.
Jubilant atmosphere at Arena Square
8pm: Perikatan Nasional supporters are streaming into Arena Square in Chukai to follow announcements based on the unofficial count.
It is a jubilant atmosphere while the emcee announces one voting district victory after another.
The crowd responds with chants of “Allahu akbar” (God is great).
The emcee also repeatedly tells the crowd that the victory in Kemaman is, allegedly, a step towards PN taking over Putrajaya.
Spotted among the crowd are Terengganu Bersatu chief Razali Idris and Ketereh MP Khlir Mohd Nor.
Samsuri in the lead
7.50pm: Perikatan Nasional’s Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar appears on track to a landslide victory as slightly over half the ballots have been counted.
At the time of writing, PN has tallied 36,115 votes against BN’s 16,022. PN’s vote share at this point is nearly 70 percent.
At 4pm, the Election Commission estimated that 60 percent of the voters had turned up.
PN favourite to win
7.15pm: There are 141,790 registered voters within the Kemaman constituency which in turn is split into four state constituencies - Kijal, Cukai, Air Putih, and Kemasik.
During the Aug 12 state election, PN retained Cukai, Air Putih, and Kemasik by a landslide as well as snatched Kijal from BN. Kijal used to be Terengganu Umno chief Ahmad Said’s bastion.
As such, PN is heavily favoured to retain Kemaman this time round.
Counting process underway
7pm: The ballot counting process is currently underway. PN will be gathering at the state government-owned Arena Square in Chukai while BN is expected to gather at their Kemaman Umno division headquarters.
The official tally centre is located at the Kemaman Municipal Council.
