POLLING for the 16th state elections in Sabah ended at 5pm and votes are being tallied.

The polls saw a crowded field of 447 candidates from 15 parties and 56 independents contesting, with multi-cornered fights in many seats.

Besides a host of smaller parties, the two main blocs competing are the incumbent Warisan Plus and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

Warisan Plus comprises Pakatan Harapan (PKR, DAP and Amanah) and Upko, while GRS comprises Perikatan Nasional (Bersatu, Star, SAPP and PAS), Barisan Nasional (Umno, MCA, MIC and PBRS) and PBS.

Official results are expected to be announced by the Election Commission (EC) late tonight as some ballot boxes have to travel long distances across Sabah’s remote areas to arrive at vote-counting centres.

The Malaysian Insight brings you updates on the unofficial results:

8.52pm: GRS leaders and members at the coalition’s operations centre in Sutera Harbour Hotel erupt in cheers of joy as unofficial results show it has won 37 out of 73 seats – enough to form the state government with a simple majority in the state’s legislature. 

They are singing “terima kasih orang Sabah” and shouting “GRS, Perikatan Nasional dah ubah balik” after the unofficial count showed it won the Inanam seat. 

Among the leaders present are Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, Sabah Bersatu chairman Hajiji Noor and Bersatu secretary Masidi Manjun. 

8.30pm: Masiung Banah, who had quit Upko and contested as an independent, wins the Kuamut seat.

He quit the party two years ago.

8.27pm: PKR loses the Sook seat to BN’s Bonepes Been in a five-cornered contest by 4,485 votes.

PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasir tweets that early vote counting looked positive, but the overall result did not favour PKR.

“We tried our best. Forgive us,” says Akmal, who is also Johor Baru MP.

PKR is contesting seven out of 73 seats in this election.

8.15pm: DAP wins six out of the seven seats it is contesting under the Warisan Plus banner. The seats are Likas, Luyang, Kapayan, Elopura, Tg Papat and Sri Tanjong.

Based on early unofficial results, it has lost the Bingkor seat to PN.

8.11pm: Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal retains the Senallang seat by defeating his four rivals, which also includes his nephew.

He faced challenges from his nephew, Norazman Utoh Nain (Perikatan Nasional), D Pg Ahmad Datu Ali Alam (Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah), Mohammad Ramzan Abdul Wahab (Usno) and Madjalis Lais (Parti Cinta Sabah). 

8.10pm: Two-time incumbent Joniston Bangkuai (PBS) defends the Kiulu seat against Upko president and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Wilfred Madius Tangau, according to unofficial results.

In the last elections, Joniston defended his seat against Warisan’s Jo-Anne Rampas by 1,443 votes. 

Kiulu, which falls under the Tuaran parliamentary constituency, is a predominantly Kadazandusun seat with about 11,000 voters.

Upko, a former Barisan Nasional component party, is contesting 12 seats in the 16th state election.

Wiflred once served as the federal science, technology and innovation minister from 2015 until 2018 and is currently Tuaran MP.

8pm: Unofficially, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah wins N39 Tambunan (Star), N12 Sulaman (Bersatu), N46 Nabawan (Bersatu), N06 Bandau (Bersatu) N38 Paginatan (Star) and Klias (Bersatu), N71 (Tg Batu) N15 Kiulu (PBS). – September 26, 2020.