BARISAN Nasional’s (BN) victory in Johor is proof that the 15^th general election should be expedited, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

The Umno president said the overwhelming mandate showed that the people wanted change for the betterment of the country.

“This huge victory clearly shows that the general election (GE) needs to be expedited to truly reflect the true mandate of the people,” he said in a statement today.

In the state polls yesterday, BN won 40 of the 56 state seats followed by Pakatan Harapan (PH) (11), Perikatan Nasional (PN) (3), MUDA (1) and PKR (1).

PN won the Bukit Kepong, Maharani and Endau seats.

Zahid said BN’s victory in Johor sends a clear signal that the coalition is the people’s choice once again.

He said the people have realised it is only BN that can bring stability to the country.

“After our victory in Malacca and Johor, the people have realised that only BN can manage the country based on our track record.

“Indeed, BN is not perfect but in comparison with other parties that are in disunity, BN is the better option for the people.”

“In reality, all of PH’s leaders have ‘self-destruct’ after 22 months in power under Dr Mahathir Mohamad. From its manifesto to selective prosecution, the people have discovered PH’s weaknesses,” said Zahid.

Zahid also took a swipe at PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang who previously branded Umno a ‘lame duck’.

“The people are more comfortable with BN because we do not resort to slander and abusive words such as ‘lame duck’ just for cheap publicity.” 

BN got the popular vote in the elections yesterday with 445,085, or 66.25%, of all votes, far ahead of its other challengers. 

PH, represented by DAP and Amanah, obtained 168,518 votes or 25.08%, while PN, comprising Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan, which contested for all 56 state seats, secured 25,865 votes, or 3.85%. 

Muda, which made its debut in the elections, garnered 22,884 votes or 3.4%, and PKR, which contested using its own logo, obtained 9,439 votes or 1.4%. – Bernama, March 13, 2022.