Sabah election: Incumbent ruling pact GRS poised to win and form state government with PM Anwar’s PH

Sabah DAP chief Phoong Zhin Je was defeated by Warisan’s Tham Yun Fook in Likas, which was previously held by DAP.

The leaders of GRS (Hajiji in Sulaman), Warisan (Shafie Apdal in Senallang), BN (Bung Moktar Radin in Lamag), STAR (Jeffrey Kitingan in Tambunan), and UPKO (Ewon Benedick in Kadamaian) all retained their seats.

Sabah’s entitlement to 40 per cent of the revenue it contributes to the federal government was a constant hot button issue, while an alleged mining corruption scandal tainting the incumbent GRS-PH alliance featured prominently in the final days of the campaign.

Other issues that dominated the campaign include longstanding municipal woes such as inadequate water and electricity supply, and poor road infrastructure.

A record 596 candidates – including 74 independents – vied for 73 seats, with all constituencies hosting multi-cornered fights and four-way contests the minimum.

The Election Commission is expecting official results to be out around midnight, depending on weather conditions.