In its own territories, the PN led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has also officially won in Terengganu after it claimed a simple majority of 17 seats in the 32-seat assembly, the Election Commission said in a statement on Saturday.
PN is leading in Kedah with 33 seats as opposed to the three seats won by PH-BN. This is an improvement from PN’s 20 seats before the assembly was dissolved. PN is also leading comfortably in stronghold Kelantan with a 42-2 scoreline in the 45-seat house, FMT’s tally shows.
The early results point to a return to status quo with both coalitions retaining their states, in line with observers’ predictions for an election deemed as a referendum of Mr Anwar’s unity government.
Analysts had earlier said further inroads by the opposition, including into Mr Anwar’s powerbases – as evidenced by early results of PN’s improved showing – could lead to political instability and conservative policies.