News March 09, 2008 06:15 AM
BN Retains Power With Reduced Majority, Loses Four More States
KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- The Barisan Nasional (BN) returned to power in Saturday's general election but lost its two-thirds majority for the first time in history and suffered shock defeat in Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Perak.
Voters handed the 14-party coalition its biggest electoral defeat since ruling the country for the past 50 years as the four key states fell to the loose opposition pact of DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in a tsunami-like wave.
Despite a determined onslaught, the BN also failed to wrest back Kelantan from PAS which has ruled the state since 1990.
At 5am and with only three of the 222 seats in Parliament yet to be declared, the Election Commission announced that BN won 137 seats, including eight won unopposed on nomination day on Feb 24, while the opposition won an unprecedented 82 seats.
PKR, which won only one seat in 2004 through its president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, took 31 seats, DAP 28 and PAS 23.
It was the biggest ever victory tasted by opposition parties in Malaysian elections, whose campaign this time was spearheaded by former deputy prime minister and PKR's de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In the 2004 election, BN swept to power in a landslide victory by winning 199 of the 219 seats.
BN's traditional stronghold of Johor, Sabah and Sarawak saved the day for the coalition by contributing the bulk of parliamentary seats won.
It also retained power in the states of Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perlis and Sabah.
Adding to the BN's woes this time, three of its component parties -- the MCA, Gerakan and MIC were almost routed while MCA only won 15 of its 40 parliamentary seats.
MIC President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and PPP President Datuk M. Kayveas were trounced.
Prime Minister and BN chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi retained his Kepala Batas parliamentary seat with a reduced majority while his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak won with a huge margin in Pekan.
In a 2.20am press conference at the BN operations room here, Abdullah was asked if he would step down as prime minister following the opposition massive BN's setbacks in losing four more states to the opposition.
"I don't know who is being pressured (to step down), I'm not resigning," he said.
Asked whether the election results showed the people had lost confidence in his leadership, Abdullah said: "No... this is the people's stand to show their stand not to give us a two-thirds majority." On the defeat of several of his cabinet ministers, the prime minister said defeats were normal.
Abdullah, who has been prime minister since November 2003, said he would have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, on Monday to form the new government.
-- BERNAMA
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