ROMPIN: Barisan Nasional (BN) has retained the Tioman state seat with a 573 majority in the first ever 'unity government' general election.
BN's candidate Barisan Nasional Datuk Seri Johari Hussain secured 8,080 votes to beat closest contestant Nor Idayu Hashim from Perikatan Nasional (PN) who received 7,507 votes.
The victory saw BN drawing level with PN with 17 state seats each in Pahang with Pakatan Harapan (PH) securing eight.
Prior to the Tioman state election, BN won 16 state seats in Pahang, one less than PN. This resulted in a hung state assembly as no party or coalition had obtained a simple majority of 22 seats before the Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah approved the formation of the Pahang government by BN and PH.
Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail was retained as the menteri besar for the new Pahang unity government.
Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly from PH, who announced his decision to make way for Johari in the Tioman polls, walked away with 784 votes.
Pejuang's Osman A. Bakar gained 79 votes while independent candidate Sulaiman Bakar bagged 58 votes.
This was announced by the Election Commission (EC) returning officer Datuk Ahmad Nasim Mohd Sidek at the Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Silver Jubilee hall tallying centre at 9.20pm tonight.
There were 91 spoilt votes while the turnout was 58.39 per cent.
Wan Rosdy and Pahang Umno information chief Datuk Seri Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad were among those present at the tallying centre.
The Tioman seat was held by Johari for three terms in 2008. In the 14th general election, Johari won the three-cornered fight with a 1,280 majority.
The 15th General Election for the Tioman state seat was postponed due to the death of PN candidate Md Yunus Ramli, 61, on polling day on Nov 19.