KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 19): Instead of Sheraton Petaling Jaya, where Pakatan Harapan (PH) announced its historic victory in GE14 over four years ago — which was also the place where the infamous Sheraton Move took place, which led to the toppling of the PH government — the coalition opted for the Grand Dorsett Subang for its candidates to gather and wait for the results of GE15 on Saturday (Nov 19) night.

PH was the biggest winner in GE14, winning over 120 seats with its alliance on election night, seeing Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad declare victory on the coalition's behalf. Barisan Nasional (BN) only conceded defeat the next morning.

Based on official tally past 3am on Sunday (Nov 20) for the results of 219 seats, no political party was able to obtain a simple majority, though PH emerged the coalition with the most seats won.

It secured 76 seats, with coalition member DAP in Sarawak winning five more seats and Muda contributing another seat, giving the coalition a total of 82 seats. Close behind was Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 73 seats — 51 seats from candidates contesting under its ticket and 22 under PAS.

Barisan Nasional (BN), meanwhile, lagged far behind with just 30 seats, while Gabungan Parti Sarawak got 22, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah obtained six, Warisan achieved three, and Parti Bangsa Malaysia won one. There were also two independent winners.

Follow our live blog as The Edge Malaysia team brings you the news as it takes place.

PH leader Anwar once again claimed that the coalition has obtained sufficient numbers to form a simple majority government.

"PH has formed the biggest bloc in Parliament. We therefore conducted a series of meetings. As a result, we have obtained the majority," he told reporters as the leadership addressed the media.

Anwar, who was flanked by DAP secretary general Anthony Loke and PKR secretary general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, said PH has "all documents ready" to submit to the palace to prove that the coalition has secured a majority to form the next government.

However, when quizzed by the media, Anwar declined to disclose the parties that PH is partnering with, saying he was not in a position to share this information on behalf of the other parties.

Regarding the actual number of parliamentary seats PH secured, he merely said it is above the simple majority threshold.

"What is important is that we have crossed the 111, 112 number," he said.

Asked to comment on PN chairperson Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's claim that PN would be the one forming the next government, Anwar said: "It cannot be, it is impossible. We will notify the palace accordingly."

Anwar also assured that he would not make this claim if he was not "certain" the alliance did not meet the simple majority threshold.

The coalition leader claimed that they will be sending the surat awal (a letter of acceptance to form government) to the palace "now".

The latest EC official results show that PH continues to lead with 76 seats, ahead of PN by just three seats. PH announced that it will address the media, shortly after Anwar was confirmed the winner of Tambun, with a 3,736 majority against PN's Faizal Azumu, who has polled 45,889 votes. PN president Tan Sri Muhyiddin, meanwhile, has told the media that his coalition would not cooperate with PH to form the federal government. Read the full story

DAP’s decision to drop environmental activist and incumbent Wong Tack from the Bentong ballot did not result in any unwanted consequences, but it has allowed BN — via MCA — to gain ground. 

Former Ketari state assemblywoman Young Syefura Othman, more fondly referred to by her supporters as ‘Rara’, managed to secure the seat for PH with a slim 692-vote majority over MCA’s former president Tan Sri Liow Tiong Lai. Wong, who decided to defend his seat as an independent candidate, only managed to rally 798 votes, thus losing his deposit.

But compared to GE14, PH has noticeably lost ground in Bentong, as Wong won the seat back in 2018 with a 2,032-vote majority over Liow.

Meanwhile, PKR adviser Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail managed to win the Bandar Tun Razak seat with 43,476 votes, a majority of 9,817 votes against PN Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar’s 33,659 votes.

According to the latest official data from the EC website, PH (and its allies) is still leading but by a thin margin of just three seats, as its total seats come in at 68 seats. PN and its ally PAS, meanwhile, are rapidly closing in with their 65-seat tally. BN lags far behind with 29 seats, while GPS in Sarawak has captured 22 seats, and GRS in Sarawak obtained six seats. 

It has been confirmed that Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is coincidentally celebrating her birthday on the same day as GE15 on Saturday, has failed to defend her family's seat in Permatang Pauh — a traditional bastion for PKR — in Penang. Nurul Izzah, who turned 42, was beaten by Perikatan Nasional candidate Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan from PAS, who won by a majority of 5,381 votes. She previously won the seat in 2018 with a majority of 15,668 votes. Read the full story

PH chief Anwar is said to have won Tambun, according to unofficial results, while Yeo Bee Yin, the coalition's candidate for Puchong, snagged the seat with 79,425 votes against BN candidate Datuk Seri Syed Ibrahim's 21,468 votes.

The Puchong winner immediately took to Twitter after her win was confirmed. "Finally, the official result is out. We’ve won P103 Puchong by a majority of 57,957. My sincere gratitude to all of you who have voted for Pakatan Harapan. I’ll do my best in the next five years to serve you and the country," she tweeted.

Also defeated were PN's Jimmy Chew Jyh Gang, who polled 18,263 votes, while independent candidate Kuan Chee Heng, commonly called Uncle Kentang, lost his deposit as he only garnered 1,793 votes.

Unofficial data indicates that PH is leading by 40 seats, trailed closely by PN's 33, followed by BN's 15. GPS in Sarawak has secured 20 seats; GRS in Sabah has obtained four, while Warisan has garnered two. The Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led Gerakan Tanah Air, meanwhile, has not won any seats so far. In fact, the two-time former prime minister Mahathir lost his long-held Langkawi seat to PN's Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, who won the seat with a 13,518-vote majority, and forfeited his deposit.

Meanwhile, as the announcement of results slows to a trickle from both official and unofficial channels, the earlier excitement in the Grand Dorsett Subang here, which is still packed with PH supporters, has wound down somewhat.

In its general election debut, Muda has only secured one single parliamentary seat based on the official results of four seats, while the results of two seats are still unannounced.

Of the official results, the party's president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman retained his Muar seat with a 1,345 majority vote.

But his No 2, Wee Jeck Seng, lost his bid for the Tanjung Piai seat, while Siti Rahayu Baharin, better known as Cikgu Rahayu, was defeated in Tanjong Karang; Mutalib Uthman failed to garner enough support for Masjid Tanah.

As for the two other parliamentary seats the party is contesting — Kepala Batas and Kota Marudu — no official results have been announced thus far.

The hustle and bustle of the PH crowd in the hotel lobby here, which has grown to over 200 people and has been escalating as EC announced more seats won by the coalition, dimmed somewhat as murmurs of disappointment were heard as unofficial results indicate that PKR's Nurul Izzah has lost the Permatang Pauh seat to PN's Muhammad Fawwaz Md Jan. Read the full story

But the mood turned quickly when PKR deputy president Rafizi arrived at Grand Dorsett, with the cheers erupting to welcome the party's number two as he stepped down from his vehicle.

According to both official and unofficial results, PH and friends are now leading with 23 seats won — including Batu Kawan (Lim Guan Eng), Gombak (Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari), Muar (Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman), and Seputeh (Teresa Kok) — versus BN's 11 and PN's 10 seats. GPS in Sarawak has secured 14 wins, while GRS in Sabah has got one win. Check the respective coalition's tally here.

PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has regained the Pandan seat according to EC, with a majority of 48,296 votes.

Rafizi won the seat in GE13, but did not seek reelection in GE14 as he was in a legal battle.

Apart from Rafizi, EC also announced that Akmal Nasir was successful in retaining the Johor Bahru seat with a majority of 16,041 votes; while DAP's Alice Lau Kiong Yieng also managed to defend the Lanang seat in Sarawak.

Lim, meanwhile, retains Bagan — a seat he held since 2008 — with a majority of 49,648 votes.

Khalid Samad arrives to a packed hotel lobby in Grand Dorsett Subang. Greeted warmly by PH supporters, the coalition's candidate for Titiwangsa is facing three other contenders for the seat: BN's Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, PN's Dr Rosni Adam and GTA's Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan.

PH’s Puchong candidate Yeo Bee Yin has arrived at the hotel. Exiting her vehicle with a cheery smile as she is met with the crowd’s welcoming cheer, she is followed by the arrival of Pulai candidate, Amanah vice-president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub. Earlier, Yeo and coalition's Segambut candidate Hannah Yeoh complained of EC officers refusing to sign Form 14 in the respective constituencies they are contesting in, leading to a hold-up in the results. Read the full story

Both the noise and temperature at the hotel lobby have climbed noticeably as the crowd continues to grow, while PH staff are tightening security between the hotel’s lobby and grand ballroom, limiting the entry to these places now to just media and coalition members. Meanwhile, more coalition staff have been allocated to the lobby to maintain order of the more-than-a-hundred-strong crowd at the hotel's entrance.

Pakatan Harapan is currently leading by big margins in seven Parliamentary seats in Penang — Bagan, Bukit Mertajam, Batu Kawan, Bukit Bendera, Bukit Gelugor, Tanjong and Jelutong — according to the latest results shared by DAP (unofficial).

DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng is leading by a huge majority in his Bagan parliamentary constituency. He has held the seat since 2008. The 62-year-old has so far garnered 43,538 votes of the 54,731 votes cast in the constituency with 86,447 eligible voters. Read the full story

Despite the rain, PH supporters continue to arrive at the hotel, gathering in and outside the lobby area. Cars keep dropping off passengers at the hotel entrance, as the hotel’s open car park has reached its full capacity, while the roads leading to the hotel are also clogged by cars parked on the side.

In the midst of this, PKR's incumbent Subang candidate Wong Chen arrives at the hotel. PH's top brass who have yet to arrive include PKR’s deputy president Rafizi Ramli and vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, and DAP national chairman Lim Guan Eng.

DAP national deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo arrived at the hotel to a barrage of camera flashes. Supporters made their bids for a photo with him as the candidate for the Damansara parliamentary seat strolled from the hotel lobby to the VIP holding room. Subsequently, Lumut candidate Amanah’s Datuk Mohd Hatta Ramli, former deputy minister of entrepreneur development under the PH administration, also arrived.

Amanah president and Kota Raja parliamentary candidate Mohamad Sabu, better known as Mat Sabu, has arrived at the Grand Dorsett Subang for PH’s election result viewing session. Supporters sounded their vuvuzelas as Mat Sabu exited his vehicle. He walked towards the VIP holding room to join Anwar. With this, all of PH’s top guns — DAP’s Loke, PKR’s Anwar, Amanah’s Mat Sabu and Muda’s Syed Saddiq — have arrived at the hotel. PH's Simpang Renggam candidate and former education minister Mazlee Malik’s arrival followed minutes after.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stepped into the hotel lobby, taking the media spotlight. When asked about how he thinks the election results have been going thus far, he made what is interpreted as a 50:50 hand gesture.

The PH Tambun candidate looked relaxed as he waved to the media, stopping briefly for a supporter's request to take a picture with him. The PH prime minister candidate is facing a four-cornered fight in Tambun against Umno Tambun division chief Datuk Aminuddin Md Hanafiah, who is contesting as the BN candidate, Abdul Rahim Tahir of Pejuang, and incumbent Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu of Perikatan Nasional.

Surrounded by supporters, PKR adviser Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has reached Grand Dorsett Subang. The PH candidate for Bandar Tun Razak made a stop short at the lobby area, before ascending to the higher levels of the hotel. Shortly after, Kulim Bandar Baru incumbent and PKR secretary general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail also arrived.

MUDA president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman arrives at Grand Dorsett Subang, attracting the attention of several supporters, who rushed to the defending Muar candidate with requests for a quick photograph together. PH election machinery staff, meanwhile, have set up an electronic scoreboard outside of the hotel to share live updates of the polling results for supporters who may be gathering outside the hotel. Though the rain has sent them, numbering about 30 in all, into the lobby instead.

DAP secretary general Anthony Loke arrives, the first among PH candidates. The Seremban PH candidate waved to the media as he walked into the ballroom, surrounded by photographers. Other than Loke, the lull at the Grand Dorsett Hotel continues as other candidates are still nowhere to be seen. PH staff at the candidates' registration counter inform The Edge that none of the other candidates has arrived as of yet. The lobby area is open to the public, while the area outside the ballroom is exclusive to the media.

Grand Dorsett Subang is still quiet, as the media lie in wait for PH candidates’ arrival. Security in and around the hotel appears pretty lax, but media personnel are already stationed at the lobby as well as outside the hotel’s grand ballroom, where the coalition’s candidates are expected to gather. PH staff are seen setting up electronic scoreboards, as well as registration counters for candidates to register themselves upon their arrival.

Get our comprehensive GE15 coverage here.