SHAH ALAM - The unofficial results in the Sungai Bakap state by-election revealed a significant shift in voter demographics.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Rafizi Ramli attributed the changes to the low non-Malay voters turnout.
In a post on X, Rafizi highlighted the major difference in turnout rates between Malay and non-Malay voters as a key factor.
Initial analysis indicated that 70 per cent of Malay voters participated in the election, compared to 47 per cent of Chinese voters and 58 per cent of Indian voters.
Rafizi noted that this turnout gap had a substantial impact on the overall results.
"With a stark difference in turnout between Malay and non-Malay voters, the Sungai Bakap seat has now become a predominantly Malay-majority seat.
"While there was a minor shift in Malay voting patterns, the primary influence on the outcome was the overall voter turnout," he said.
According to unofficial results, Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Abidin Ismail was leading in the Sungai Bakap state by-election.
The unofficial results showed that Abidin garnered 13,407 votes, defeating Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin who secured 9,619 votes.
The by-election saw a voter turnout of 68 per cent, with 39,279 people eligible to vote.
Earlier in the counting process, PN had taken an early lead with 9,538 votes against PH’s 7,370 votes, as reported by a PKR source.
At that time, results from 29 out of 65 voting streams showed PN holding a majority of 2,158 votes.
Eventually, with results from 50 out of 66 streams counted, PN's lead solidified.
The by-election was held following the death of the incumbent Nor Zamri Latiff, on May 24 due to a stomach inflammation.
Nor Zamri, a Pas member and Nibong Tebal Pas division chief, had previously won the seat in the state election, last year.