Sabah's ruling coalition Warisan Plus lost in the hotly contested state elections held on September 27th. Out of the 73 seats contested, Warisan Plus won 32 while Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (Sabah People's Coalition or GRS) won 38 seats. The remainder 3 seats were won by independent candidates.
A total of 447 candidates contested the state elections. The state election was called by the Election Commission after incumbent Chief Minister Shafie Apdal dissolved the state assembly after only 2 years plus in power. The assembly was dissolved following attempts to topple the government by ex-Chief Minister Musa Aman.
The main parties which contested included Warisan Plus comprising Sabah Heritage Party (Warisan), United Peoples of Kinabalu Organization (UPKO), the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the National Justice Party (PKR). Their main contender was GRS comprising the National Front (BN), National United Indigenous Party (PPBM), STAR and Sabah United Party (PBS).
Several smaller parties and dozens of independent candidates also contested but most of them lost their deposits. Only three independents won, all of whom later sided with the winning coalition as expected.
The win by GRS strenghtened the Malaya-based federal government which was formed through defections by government backbemchers earlier in February. It was also a blow to Warisan Plus which hoped to make Sabah more autonomous from Federal rule.
Hajiji Noor was sworn in as Chief Minister shortly after the elections.
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