PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today congratulated Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikir Abdul Ghani for his win yesterday in the Nenggiri by-election.

Anwar said the victory is a moral booster for the Madani government to care for the well-being of the people.

“Congratulations to Mohd Azmawi for his win at the Nenggiri by-election and the win proves that the people of Kelantan has accepted the unity government.”

“The win is a testament that the people are now adapting with the winds of changes under the Madani government. This win is a moral booster for the government to continue its commitment to care for the well-being of the people,” he said in a Facebook post. 

Azmawi won the by-election with a convincing majority of 3,352 in a small constituency with a total of 20,259 registered voters.

He polled 9,091 votes against Mohd Rizwadi Ismail from PAS, who received 5,739 votes.

Azmawi’s victory means that BN has managed to secure its third seat in the Kelantan assembly. The remaining 42 seats are held by Perikatan Nasional.

This is also the first by-election since the 15th general election in which the incumbent party lost to a challenger.

The Nenggiri by-election has 20,230 registered voters, comprising 17,636 Malay voters, 36 Chinese voters, eight Indian voters, and 2,843 voters from other ethnic groups, including Orang Asli.

The by-election was called after Kelantan Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah declared the seat, then held by Mohd Azizi Abu Naim, as vacant.

This followed the cessation of Azizi’s membership in Bersatu, relayed through an official notice to him on June 13. – August 18, 2024.