Barisan Nasional failed to achieve its target of 18,000 votes in the Ayer Kuning by-election because of a low voter turnout, according to Perak BN chairman Saarani Mohamad.
Saarani, who had set the target, said that a turnout of at least 75% was needed to achieve the desired result.
“If voter turn out was 75%, that would mean that 24,000 people had come out to vote. If Perikatan Nasional retained the 6,000 votes (from the 2022 election) that would mean the remaining 18,000 would have gone to us,” he told reporters here tonight.
Commenting on BN’s victory, Saarani said the coalition won because “Ayer Kuning voters value peace and do not like any form of provocation. They also reject those who like to slander.”
The Election Commission said earlier today that only 58% of the 31,897 registered voters came out to cast their ballots, a drop from the 75% that turned up in the last general election.
BN’s failure to achieve its vote target was in line with a study conducted by Ilham Centre, which said BN would not have any problem retaining the seat but would find it difficult to achieve its 18,000-vote target.
BN’s candidate, Yusri Bakir, won the by-election after securing 11,065 votes for a 5006-vote majority over his closest rival, Perikatan Nasional’s Abdul Muhaimin Malek of PAS (6,059 votes) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s KS Bawani (1,106 votes).
