KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 1): The Barisan Nasional (BN)-Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance has secured a two-thirds majority in the Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly, ending Pakatan Harapan's (PH) eight-year rule in the state after a sweeping victory in Saturday's election.

Unofficial Election Commission (EC) results showed BN winning 18 seats and PN seven, giving the alliance a combined 25 seats in the 36-seat assembly, above the 24 seats required for a two-thirds majority.

The results, while provided by the EC through its social media channel, are deemed unofficial until they are formally announced by the respective officer.

PH, which had governed Negeri Sembilan since 2018 under caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, was reduced to 11 seats.

In the previous 2023 state election, PH won 17 seats, BN 14, PN three and Bersatu two, allowing PH and BN to jointly form the state government following the formation of the federal unity government in Putrajaya.

This time, however, BN contested the election in alliance with PN, while PH defended the state on its own, similar to the contest in the Johor state election last month, where BN defeated PH in a landslide.

BN crossed the simple majority threshold of 19 seats at around 9.15pm, before the coalition and PN continued extending their lead as counting progressed.

Among the biggest upsets of the election was the 533-margin defeat of DAP secretary general Anthony Loke, who lost the Chennah (N.01) seat to MCA's Siow Kong Choon (John), ending his 13-year tenure as the constituency's assemblyman.

Aminuddin also lost in Linggi (N.32) after making the high-risk decision to leave his long-time Sikamat (N.13) seat, which he had represented for four consecutive terms.

Aminuddin's political secretary, Nor Azman Mohamad, also failed to defend Sikamat, losing the constituency to PN's (Wawasan) Datuk Razali Abu Samah. Wawasan, the breakaway party of Bersatu, won three seats in its electoral debut.

Foreign Minister and Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan defended Rantau (N.27) for BN, while Negeri Sembilan Umno chief Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias, who led the no-confidence move against Aminuddin in April, retained Pertang (N.02).

Overall, PH's DAP contested 11 seats but lost two. PKR contested 18, and lost 16 seats.

Amanah contested seven seats but was wiped out in the election, losing its sole seat of Klawang (N.04) in the state assembly to Wawasan.

Bersatu's camp appears to be the biggest loser in this election, as it lost all 24 seats, of which 23 candidates lost deposits, safe for Bersatu Bersekutu chief Datuk Sri Sanjeevan Ramakrishnan in Jeram Padang (N.07). 

PKR, meanwhile, lost deposit in one seat, namely Palong (N.06), alongside Asli's sole candidate in Jeram Padang, PSM's sole candidate in Rahang (N.22) and four independent candidates in Nilai (N.10), Lukut (N.30) and Sri Tanjung (N.33). 
 

The commanding victory comes just three weeks after BN's landslide win in the Johor state election, where it won 48 of 56 seats.

Buoyed by the decisive victory, BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed confidence that the coalition's success would spark a "blue wave" that would spread to neighbouring Melaka.

On the losing side, PH election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari was quick to blame identity politics, which had enabled the BN-PN alliance to make significant gains despite PH's governance record at both the federal and state levels.

Ilham Centre head of research Mohd Yusri Ibrahim said the results confirmed that the electoral cooperation between BN and PN had worked as intended.

"There was significant vote transferability between BN and PN supporters. Although the transferability was not entirely symmetrical, it had a major impact on BN-PN's victories, particularly in Malay-majority seats," he told The Edge.

"PH's governance record in Negeri Sembilan, despite Aminuddin enjoying an approval rating of about 75%, did not translate into votes because Malay voters, in particular, were more persuaded by the narrative of rejecting PH and DAP," he added.

Further, Mohd Yusri argued that some Chinese voters appeared disillusioned by the Madani government's subsidy rationalisation, tax policies and business enforcement measures, with some shifting their support to BN while others stayed away from the polls, contributing to noticeably lower turnout in Chinese-majority constituencies.

However, Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia honorary research associate Bridget Welsh pointed out that MCA won just two of seven seats contested, while MIC lost both seats it contested. 

"DAP maintained nine of 11 seats, which speaks to MCA wrestling as a party to rebuild. MIC did not win any, so there still is a challenge for BN as a multi-ethnic coalition," she told The Edge.

Unlike at the federal level, where BN and PH govern together under the unity government, the two coalitions faced each other in Negeri Sembilan after BN entered into an electoral understanding with PN to avoid multi-cornered contests, while Bersatu contested under its own logo following the collapse of its alliance with PAS.

The state election was triggered after Aminuddin announced that he had obtained the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir to dissolve the state assembly effective June 5.

The dissolution coincided with an ongoing monarchy dispute after local chieftains, the Undang Yang Empat, proclaimed Tunku Nadzaruddin Tuanku Ja'afar as the new Yang di-Pertuan Besar following their earlier attempted move to remove Tuanku Muhriz. 

Attention will now turn to the appointment of the state's next menteri besar and the formation of the new Negeri Sembilan administration.

Find out all you need to know about the 2026 Negeri Sembilan election here.