[UNOFFICIAL] Zahid hopes big BN victory in Johor sparks blue wave

JOHOR BAHRU - Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed hope that the coalition's landslide victory in the Johor polls will act as a catalyst for its resurgence in other states ahead of the 16th General Election.

He stated that the victory, which saw the coalition clear more than 40 state assembly seats in Johor, is expected to trigger a "blue wave" that will spread across the country, particularly to Negeri Sembilan.

"Hopefully, this success will also spark a blue wave for other states. Insya-Allah, we will face the state election in Negeri Sembilan in the near future, followed by Melaka, and then the 16th General Election," he told a press conference at the Johor Umno Headquarters here on March 12.

Ahmad Zahid said that based on early unofficial results, BN did not only secure the simple majority required to continue governing Johor but successfully surpassed the 40-seat mark.

For the record, a simple majority of 29 seats is required to form the state government, while a two-thirds majority requires at least 39 seats out of the total 56 state constituencies.

During the 2022 Johor state election, BN recorded a landslide victory by winning 40 out of the 56 contested seats, while Pakatan Harapan secured 12 seats, Perikatan Nasional won three seats, and the Malaysian Democratic Alliance Party claimed one seat.