SHAH ALAM - Following Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) victory in the Sungai Bakap state by-election, a low voter turnout was expected.
Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research Programme director Ibrahim Suffian said a notable trend in the by-election was the absence of working adults returning to their hometowns to vote and the significant absence of Chinese voters, which likely impacted PH's electoral outcome.
"In the following days, we will be able to analyse voter participation across various polling stations and streams.
"It is probable that voters chose not to return because the by-election would not alter the government's composition or influence policies, possibly signalling discontent over current economic concerns," he said.
Ibrahim said the results indicated that voter polarisation along ethnic and generational lines has remained unchanged since the general election and state elections.
"This highlights the need for contesting parties to innovate and adopt new strategies if they aim to achieve different outcomes.
"Given the low turnout and entrenched polarisation, parties must reconsider their outreach strategies and initiate them much earlier in the electoral process" he added.
Last night, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Rafizi Ramli highlighted a significant shift in voter demographics in the Sungai Bakap state by-election, attributing it to the low turnout of non-Malay voters.
The election saw a turnout of 68 per cent, with 39,279 eligible voters.
Initial analysis revealed that 70 per cent of Malay voters participated, compared to 47 per cent of Chinese voters and 58 per cent of Indian voters.
Rafizi emphasised that this disparity influenced the outcome, turning Sungai Bakap into a predominantly Malay-majority seat.
PN retained the Sungai Bakap state seat yesterday through its candidate Abidin Ismail.
The Nibong Tebal Pas vice-chief, won by a majority of 4,267 votes, polling 14,489 votes defeating Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Dr Joohari Ariffin, who obtained 10,222 votes.
The official results were announced by returning officer Khairulnizam Hashim at the vote-tallying centre at the Jawi Multipurpose Hall in Taman Desa Jawi, last night.
Khairulnizam said the voter turnout was 63.45 per cent.
In the state election in August last year, Pas' Nor Zamri Latiff won the Sungai Bakap state seat after defeating PH candidate Nurhidayah Che Rose by a majority of 1,563 votes.
The seat fell vacant following Zamri's death on May 24 due to stomach inflammation.