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Malaysia
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Sabah election: boost for Malaysia PM Muhyiddin as Gabungan Rakyat Sabah secures victory

  • The GRS comprises parties in Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance and other Sabah-based collaborators
  • Their victory looks set to bolster the prime minister’s ruling administration as it seeks to fend off opposition plots to unseat it

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People queue outside a polling station to cast their vote during the 2020 Sabah state election. Photo: Bernama / DPA
Tashny SukumaranandBhavan Jaipragas
An alliance spearheaded by parties in Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government has won elections in the state of Sabah, official results showed on Saturday, handing a major boost to the ruling administration as the opposition plots to unseat it through defections.
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The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), comprising parties in Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance and other Sabah-based collaborators, obtained a simple majority in the 73-seat state assembly with victories in 38 seats, according to a final tally by the Election Commission of Malaysia.

Their opponents from the so-called Warisan Plus bloc – comprising chief minister Shafie Apdal’s Sabah Heritage Party (Warisan) – as well as parties from the federal opposition bloc, Pakatan Harapan, won 32 seats. Independent candidates won the remaining three seats.

Speaking early on Sunday following the release of official results, Muhyiddin thanked voters for backing GRS.

“I give my highest commitment that the state government will have the full support of the federal government and that I will deliver on what I promised and mentioned during the campaign,” the prime minister said.

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Earlier, Bung Moktar Radin, one of the key Sabah-born figures in the GRS campaign, said internal discussions were ongoing over who would be picked as chief minister.

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