SEREMBAN (Aug 1): The Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional (BN-PN) alliance has secured a comfortable majority in the Negeri Sembilan state election on Saturday, sweeping 25 of the 36 seats contested to form the next state government, claimed BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
BN won 18 seats while PN secured seven, handing the coalition a two-thirds majority, Zahid said. Earlier, unofficial tallies from the Election Commission showed the alliance crossing the 19-seat threshold required for a simple majority — enough to unseat the Pakatan Harapan administration led by caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
“We accept this mandate with humility. We must not be arrogant. Instead, we will repay the people’s trust through hard work for the people of Negeri Sembilan,” he told reporters.
WATCH: BN-PN claim victory in Negeri Sembilan
The election marked the first electoral test of the BN-PN alliance in Negeri Sembilan. It also pitted BN directly against its federal unity government partner, PH, turning the two national allies into rivals in the battle for control of the Minangkabau heartland.
“We will hold further discussions between the two coalition parties to prioritise the formation of the new state government. We accept this mandate with humility. We must not be arrogant. Instead, we will repay the people’s trust through hard work for the people of Negeri Sembilan,” Zahid told reporters at Wisma Umno Negeri Sembilan here.
Buoyed by the decisive victory, Zahid also expressed confidence that the coalition’s victory would spread to neighbouring Melaka, where the state administration has come under pressure following DAP's withdrawal from the BN-led government last month.
“This mandate and the election outcome will create a wave that will enable us to continue the blue and dark blue wave that began in Johor. God willing, it will spread to Melaka. This mandate sends a clear message that the people want stability,” he said.
At Wisma Umno Negeri, jubilant supporters erupted in chants of “Gelombang Biru!” (Blue Wave) and “Hoben Jang Hoben!” — the famous Negeri Sembilan rallying cry loosely meaning “strike, mate, strike” — as unofficial results confirmed a solid BN-PN victory.
High-profile upsets, key retentions
The state polls delivered two major upsets to the PH leadership: the lost of DAP secretary general Anthony Loke's Chennah (N.01) seat to BN's Siow Kong Choon (John) of MCA, and the defeat of PKR's Aminuddin in Linggi.
Over at BN, senior leaders Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias and Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan successful retained their respective seats in Pertang (N.02) and Rantau (N.27).
BN-PN to discuss next Menteri Besar
Meanwhile, Jalaluddin, who is also Negeri Sembilan Umno liaison committee, said BN and PN would hold talks before deciding on the state’s next Menteri Besar.
“For now, nothing has been finalised. We need to hold discussions with PN as soon as possible,” said Jalaluddin, who is also the Jelebu MP.
When asked whether the discussions could take place as early as Sunday, he said the timing had yet to be decided. “I’m not sure yet. We have to ask our president [Zahid],” he told reporters.
WATCH: BN-PN win proves voters reject racial politics, says Jalaluddin
Unofficial results showed that Jalaluddin comfortably retained his Pertang seat with a 3,719-vote majority after garnering 6,312 votes to defeat PH’s Mohd Umry Abdul Khois (2,593 votes) and Bersatu’s Mohd Faizal Fadli Mohd Idrus (367 votes).
The victory follows BN’s strong performance in the Johor state election last month and provides an early endorsement of its electoral arrangement with PN.
Unlike at the federal level — where BN and PH govern together in the unity government — the two coalitions competed against each other in Negeri Sembilan after BN forged an electoral pact with PN to consolidate Malay voter support and prevent three-cornered contests.
Under the BN-PN agreement, BN contested 25 seats while leaving 11 to PN, whereas PH fielded candidates across all 36 constituencies.
Prior to the state assembly’s dissolution in June, PH was the largest coalition with 17 seats, while BN had 14, PN held three, and Bersatu had two.
The snap election was triggered following months of political friction, including an attempted withdrawal of support by Negeri Sembilan Umno and an unprecedented constitutional dispute involving the state’s monarchy.
The EC conducted polling across 401 polling centres involving 1,668 voting streams for 859,760 registered voters. Official final results are expected to be declared later tonight.
Find out all you need to know about the 2026 Negeri Sembilan election here.