PAKATAN Harapan’s (PH) candidate Suhaizan Kaiat has retained the Pulai parliamentary seat by beating Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Zulkifli Jaafar with a 18,641 vote majority.

Suhaizan polled 48,283 votes in a three-cornered contest.

PN’s Zulkifli Jaafar polled 29,642 votes and independent Samsudin Mohamad Fauzi bagged 528 votes.

The by-election was held following the death of incumbent Salahuddin Ayub, who was the domestic trade and cost of living minister.

In the general election, Salahuddin won the Pulai seat with a 33,174-vote majority after polling 64,900 votes.

This is the first time Suhaizan, who is a former Johor assembly speaker, has won an election.

It was his seventh attempt after having lost previously in two parliamentary seats – Simpang Renggam (2013), Parit Sulong (2004), and the state seats of Kempas (2008, 2013), Kukup (2018), and Pulai Sebatang (2002).

Earlier this evening, PH’s Nazri Abdul Rahman won the Simpang Jeram state seat which was also held by Salahuddin.

He won with a 3,514 vote-majority, securing 13,484 votes. –  September 9, 2023.