The 168 women candidates who contested parliamentary and state seats generally received good support from voters in the 13th general election.

In the Seputeh parliamentary seat, the DAP's Teresa Kok Suh Sim won with a huge majority of 51,552 votes, defeating the BN's Nicole Wong Siaw Ting.

The BN's Noriah Kasnon defended the Sungai Besar parliamentary seat with a 399-vote majority. She was deputy minister in the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

Puteri Umno chief Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin retained the Papar parliamentary seat, garnering 21,196 votes.

BN's Halimah Mohd Sadique also retained the Tenggara parliamentary seat in Johor with 25,698 votes, defeating Muhamad Said Jonit of PAS who received 8,502 votes.

PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar kept the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat, defeating Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin with a 1,847-vote majority.

In Kedah, three of the BN's six women candidates won. They are Suraya Yaacob (Sungai Tiang), Kama Nuriah Ibrahim (Pedu) and Noor Sabrina Mohd Noor (Bandar Baharu).

In Pahang, PKR's Fuziah Salleh defended the Kuantan parliamentary seat, defeating Mohamed Suffian Awang of the BN.

Ex-deputy human resources minister Maznah Mazlan won the Muadzam Shah state seat, defeating Muhamad Nordin Pa'wan Chik from PKR.

BN's Nurhidayah Mohamad Shahaimi won the Luit state seat and DAP's Kamache A Doray Rajoo the Sabai seat, both defeating their male challengers.

Two female singers, Wan Aishah Wan Ariffin and Dayangku Intan or Tengku Intan Tengku Abdul Hamid, tried their luck in the general election for the first time but failed to win.

Wan Aishah, representing PAS, contested the Jempol parliamentary seat in Negri Sembilan against former menteri besar and Felda chairperson Mohd Isa Abdul Samad of BN, but lost by 8,614 votes.

Dayangku Intan from PKR, contested the Pengerang parliamentary seat in Johor against incumbent Azalina Othman of BN, who won with a majority of 22,508 votes. Azalina had won the seat uncontested in 2004 and 2008.

- Bernama