BARISAN Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party can wrest back the Kemaman parliamentary seat in Terengganu in the December 2 by-election as the constituency is a Umno stronghold and not of PAS.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, said the party’s defeat in the 15th General Election was due to slander and the opposition’s financial resources.

“Due to the outpouring of hate against Umno, so we didn’t get sufficient votes in Kemaman,” he said at the announcement of the BN candidate at Menara Dato’ Onn in Kuala Lumpur today.

Former army chief Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor has been named as candidate.

Ahmad Zahid said Raja Mohamed Affandi, who grew up in Kemaman, is able to garner support and wrest back the seat based on his leadership in the army.

“He has a strong background in the military and he has gone through it diligently,” he said.

Asked about the Umno and BN machinery’s acceptance of Raja Mohamed Affandi, Ahmad Zahid expressed confidence in support.

The Election Commission has set polling for the by-election on December 2, while nomination day is November 18 and early voting will take place on November 28.

The by-election is being called after the Terengganu Election Court nullified the victory of Che Alias Hamid of PAS, who had been declared the winner of the Kemaman parliamentary seat in the last general election.

BN previously held the Kemaman through Ahmad Shabery Cheek for three terms before it changed hands to Che Alias. – Bernama, November 13, 2023.