MELAKA: The Melaka Election Court here, today, upheld the victory of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) women's wing deputy chief, Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, as the member of parliament for Masjid Tanah in the 15th general election (GE15).
The decision was made by Judge Abu Bakar Katar after rejecting the petition filed by the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the seat, Abdul Hakim Abdul Wahid, to prove the existence of corruption during the GE15 campaign.
On Jan 3, Abdul Hakim filed the petition in the Melaka Election Court to annul Mas Ermieyati's victory, alleging bribery in the form of money and feasts to secure votes.
However, Mas Ermieyati retained the seat after the court dismissed the petition to deny the Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate her victory.
Nevertheless, the Federal Court ordered the petition to be returned to the High Court for a full trial.
On Nov 19, 2022, Mas Ermieyati won the parliamentary seat with a majority of 4,411 votes, defeating Abdul Hakim, Mutalib Uthman (Muda) and Handrawirawan Abu Bakar (Pejuang).
Mas Ermieyati obtained 25,604 votes, while Abdul Hakim received 21,193 votes, Mutalib 7,445 votes, and Handrawirawan 507 votes, becoming the member of parliament for Masjid Tanah for the third term.