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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Ushar Daniele

Vincent Tan

Barisan Nasional’s (BN) sweeping win in Johor is expected to embolden it within Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government while forcing his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition into a difficult postmortem over its waning appeal on the ground.
BN, which ruled the country for six decades before losing power in 2018 and later joining Anwar’s bloc in 2022, retained its Johor stronghold with 48 seats out of 56 on Saturday night – an improvement from the 40 it won in the 2022 polls. PH managed only eight, ceding ground from its previous 12.
Analysts say the result, which came despite Anwar campaigning heavily for PH, will give BN momentum before the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1 and could deepen friction inside the ruling coalition, where PH and BN govern together in Putrajaya but are increasingly testing each other at the state level.
For Anwar, PH’s performance now lies in how hard BN can continue to rally support, bolstering a possible comeback in the federal government.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy prime minister and BN president, on Saturday night thanked Johoreans for again choosing BN to govern the state, stressing that the party “will not be arrogant in victory” and would strive to fulfil its campaign pledges.
“We also hope this victory will trigger a blue wave in the elections to come,” he said at a press conference at the party’s Johor headquarters before the final results were officially announced, but with a BN victory in clear sight.

Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, said BN’s win bodes well for the bloc ahead of the Negeri Sembilan election.
He described PH’s performance in Johor as “bad”, especially that of the component party led by Anwar, the People’s Justice Party.
“PH did very badly in Johor even though Anwar campaigned very hard in Johor in the last few days,” he said. “It is a good sign for BN going to Negeri Sembilan, and they will be riding very hard.”
The win will have a domino effect on federal politics, putting Anwar’s unity government on shaky ground as both BN and PH lock horns again in Negeri Sembilan.
“Umno would carry the momentum to Negeri Sembilan, dissolve Melaka or Pahang legislatures to dissolve Anwar’s hand if he doesn’t dissolve parliament soon,” said Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at Sunway University, referring to BN’s largest and dominant Malay nationalist party.
He said Malaysian political structures that were over-concentrated with power created risks of potentially being sabotaged by rivals.
“Such that its rivals and even government partners have the incentives to destabilise it,” he said, citing former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who was ousted from Umno after he raised issues on corruption and kleptocracy in 2021.

Other experts say this win could allow BN to assert its growing dominance by pushing for snap national polls, further adding friction within the unity government.
“Within PH, there will be calls for heads to roll as the coalition conducts its postmortem of this election failure, bearing in mind DAP [Democratic Action Party] will also be holding its national convention soon to determine its future within the coalition,” Ahmad Mosein Azman, senior analyst at strategic advisory firm BowerGroupAsia, told This Week in Asia.
BN’s sweeping win should be attributed to caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the performance of the state government in the past term, Ahmad Mohsein said.
“Some may argue that the BN-led state government benefits from being in the seat of power at the right time, given Johor’s boom in economic growth over the past few years, but regardless, the incumbency has provided BN with a stronger, renewed mandate to carry on for the next five years,” he said.


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In Malaysia, BN’s Johor ‘blue wave’ leaves Anwar’s PH facing hard questions

Barisan Nasional supporters celebrate at the coalition’s Johor Bahru command centre during Saturday’s election. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

BN’s win in Johor will put Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government on shaky ground in Negeri Sembilan. Photo: EPA

Johor’s caretaker chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi. Photo: Facebook/Onn Hafiz Ghazi

BN cruises to victory in Malaysia’s Johor, in blow to Anwar and PH

Barisan Nasional leaders cheer at the coalition’s command centre in Johor Bahru as unofficial results show BN leading in the state election in Malaysia on Saturday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Voters wait to cast their ballots inside a polling centre in the Puteri Wangsa state constituency, Johor, on Saturday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Melanie (right) and her sister show their inked fingers after voting in the Johor Jaya state constituency on Saturday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Afya Ghazali voted in central Johor Bahru on Saturday. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Bersama flags line a road in Johor Bahru. Photo: Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Workers repair a rooftop next to the Strait of Johor separating Singapore and Malaysia, in Johor Bahru, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Johor election: where winning isn’t enough for Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional

Barisan National supporters wave flags outside a nomination centre during Malaysia’s 2022 election. Photo: AP

A police officer stands guard between supporters of Barisan National (left) and Pakatan Harapan on nomination day on November 5, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Two of the industrial estates located in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Photo: Jean Iau

Workers repair a rooftop of a building near the Straits of Johor separating Singapore and Malaysia, in Johor Bahru, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

How a remark about Najib’s pardon just blew Malaysia’s Johor state election wide open

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Supporters of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak hold banners featuring his portrait outside the Palace of Justice in 2025. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak greets his supporters during a break in his final appeal trial outside the Federal Court in Putrajaya in 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE

In Malaysia’s Johor, Chinese voters prize affordability over politics

Workers repair a rooftop next to the Strait of Johor separating Singapore and Malaysia, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Monday. Photo: Reuters

DAP Secretary General Anthony Loke (centre) says his party aims to defend the 10 seats it won in 2022. Photo: Facebook/Anthony Loke Siew Fook

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The result will give BN momentum before the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1 and could deepen friction within the ruling coalition


The result will give BN momentum before the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1 and could deepen friction within the ruling coalition.


In Malaysia, BN’s Johor ‘blue wave’ leaves Anwar’s PH facing hard questions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The result will give BN momentum before the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1 and could deepen friction within the ruling coalition

The result will give BN momentum before the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1 and could deepen friction within the ruling coalition