Official: GRS 29, Warisan 25, PKR 1

SABAH POLLS | Polls have closed, and it’s time to tally the results of the Sabah 2025 election.

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2.50am: This concludes Malaysiakini's live coverage of the Sabah state election.

Despite being at the state palace for almost two hours, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairperson Hajiji Noor has not yet been sworn in.

Malaysiakini will provide updates when it happens.

Official: GRS 29, Warisan 25, PKR 1

2.03am: The Election Commission has finalised the results of the Sabah election.

Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has officially won 29 seats, and Warisan 25.

While neither meets the threshold to form a state government on its own, both are in a position to cobble together a ruling coalition.

However, all signs point to GRS coming out on top, with Hajiji Noor poised to be sworn in as chief minister.

Hajiji arrives at governor’s official residence

1.40am: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chief Hajiji Noor has entered the Sabah governor's official residence.

It is believed that he may have secured the support of the five independent assemblypersons, which would give him, together with Pakatan Harapan and Upko, 38 seats, one more than a simple majority.

GRS chief believed to be heading to state palace

1.28am: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chief Hajiji Noor leaves his official residence, and is believed to be heading to the state palace.

Upko on the way to Istana Seri Kinabalu - Ewon’s aide

1.20am: According to Ewon Benedick's aide, Upko is heading to the governor's residence to be part of the formation of the government with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Pakatan Harapan.

The three parties have 33 seats - just four short of a simple majority.

Salleh Keruak loses Usukan to Warisan

12.50am: As official results pour in, another seat has been flipped from the unofficial tally.

Warisan's Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis wins Usukan, defeating BN's Salleh Said Keruak by 442 votes.

Warisan has also officially won Bongawan instead of BN's Mohamad Alamin.

Star, Upko weighing their options

12.20am: Two Sabah-based parties that have strained ties with either Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) or its ally Pakatan Harapan are considering their next move.

Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan, who recently took his party out of GRS because he was upset over the coalition's overtures to Harapan, is "thinking" about whether Star will join a future GRS state government.

Star has only won one of the 46 seats it contested and could help make up the 37 seats required for GRS to form a government with a simple majority.

When asked about this, Jeffrey replied: "Thinking away."

Veteran Upko leader Wilfred Madius Tangau, meanwhile, tells Malaysiakini that the party, which won three seats, will decide tonight if it will join a GRS-Harapan state government.

Upko had left Harapan just before the election as it disagreed with the federal government's appeal against a High Court ruling over Sabah's 40 percent revenue entitlement, with its president Ewon Benedick also quitting from the federal cabinet.

Warisan has ‘Plan B’

12.03am: Warisan does not rule out the possibility of forming a coalition government.

According to Oriental Daily, party vice-president Junz Wong says while Warisan is unable to form a government on its own, it still has a "Plan B".

"We still have Plan B, and we will talk (to others). If we are not in the government, it will be very hard to help the people and we won't be able to solve their problems.

"This is my personal view, and it still has to be discussed with the president and the deputy president. We will sit down very soon to discuss and see what to do," he tells the press in Kota Kinabalu.

Hajiji appears all dressed up and on standby

12am: Sabah caretaker chief minister Hajiji Noor seems to be on standby to be called in and sworn in for a second term in office.

Hajiji arrived at his official residence at 11.50pm, dressed in a black baju melayu, the official dress code when appearing before the governor at the state palace.

However, Hajiji can't be sworn in yet as official results are still trickling in.

Unofficial: All 73 seats counted; will it be Hajiji or Shafie?

11.30pm: All 73 seats have been accounted for according to unofficial results from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

However, the final tally is still subject to change once official results are in.

At present, GRS, led by Hajiji Noor, is on track to win 29 seats, and Warisan, headed by its president Shafie Apdal, is expected to win 23 seats.

PKR, which was initially reported to have won two seats but has now only won one, is set to lose 12 of the 13 seats it contested.

With no outright winner, it comes down to the two big winners to cobble together a coalition.

PKR had declared that it and GRS together had enough numbers to form a government, but this depends on who the other winners from Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star), Upko, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), and independents ultimately decide to ally with.

BN willing to work with like-minded parties: Zahid

11.25pm: With the situation in Sabah still unclear following the 17th state election, BN says it is prepared to collaborate with like-minded parties to form a new government for the political stability of the state.

“BN calls on all the people of Sabah to maintain peace, unity, and respect for the ongoing democratic process,” says the coalition’s chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“The future of Sabah requires the commitment of all parties, and BN will continue to play a constructive role in ensuring the state progresses toward development and prosperity,” he adds.

BN wins eight out of the 45 seats it contested. Umno fielded candidates in 41 constituencies, whereas MCA and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) fielded two each.

Harapan left with 1 seat as Yamani loses Sindumin

11.20pm: Official results for Sindumin are in, and Yamani Hafez Musa, the son of Sabah Governor Musa Aman, has lost.

Earlier unofficial results placed Yamani as winning the seat for PKR. However, official results instead have Warisan winning the seat by a slim 362 votes.

This leaves PKR with just one seat won - Melalap - according to official results.

Upko bags 3 seats

10.55pm: Upko, which left the federal ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan, has bagged three seats - Kadamaian, Moyog, and Tamparuli.

Hajiji reportedly wins another CM term amid Warisan poser

10.50pm: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairperson Hajiji Noor is reportedly due to be sworn in for another term as chief minister tonight.

This is according to a report by Free Malaysia Today, citing sources.

However, with just one seat left to be declared, things are not as straightforward as they seem.

Warisan, with 20 seats, can actually form a government if it can convince BN (9), Upko (3), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (2), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (1), and the five independents to side with it instead of GRS.

This combination would give Warisan 40 seats.

However, Warisan president Shafie Apdal is at a disadvantage due to strained ties with Sabah governor Musa Aman.

In 2018, Shafie engineered defections to deny Musa the chief minister post, while Musa attempted the same against Shafie in 2020.

Bittersweet polls for PKR?

10.25pm: While PKR looks set to be part of the next Sabah government, its election performance tonight has not been great.

Of the 13 seats it fielded candidates, it lost in nine, including in Api-Api, one of the two seats it won in the 2020 state election.

Tulid, Petagas, and Bandau were won by independents, while the other six seats PKR has lost thus far were swept up by Warisan.

In Silam, PKR’s candidate had withdrawn from the race after submitting his nomination. As the Election Commission does not allow withdrawals, the PKR candidate remained on the ballot.

PKR has won two seats, Sindumin and Melalap, while two other seats, Inanam and Moyog, have yet to be declared.

PAS hails its ‘first-born’ in Sabah

10.25pm: PAS claims that it has won its first seat in history in Sabah.

Its information chief, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, posted on social media that it has won the Karambunai seat by a slim majority of 371 votes.

“Thank God PAS has given birth to its ‘first child’ in Sabah,” Fadhli wrote on his Facebook page.

GRS-led coalition govt on the cards?

9.51pm: With 61 seats accounted for, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is now in a position to also form a state government without BN and Warisan.

GRS has 29 seats, and together with Pakatan Harapan (2), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (1), Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (1), and four independents, they would have 37 seats, just enough for a simple majority in the state assembly.

At a press conference, PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh says that Harapan already has enough seats to form a coalition government with GRS.

She says that PKR operations leader Amirudin Shari has met with GRS chairperson Hajiji Noor to discuss the matter.

Jeffrey wins fourth term in Tambunan

9.50pm: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan, whose party withdrew from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) over its electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan, has successfully retained his seat in Tambunan.

Jeffrey was among the politicians implicated in the mining scandal exposed by businessperson Albert Tei.

This marks the fourth term for the veteran politician, who also carries the unenviable distinction of being Sabah’s most notorious “political frog”.

KDM wrests Paginatan

9.40pm: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah updates its unofficial tally of seats won, with the Paginatan seat now showing as belonging to Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM).

Earlier, GRS displayed the seat as theirs.

Meanwhile, KDM acting president Priscella Peter loses the race for the Melalap seat to PKR’s Jamawi Ja’afar.

She was running in her father’s stead as he held the seat for two terms before he was convicted of forgery earlier this year.

Her father, jailed former Sabah minister Peter Anthony, had won the seat under Warisan in the last state election, but he later left to form KDM.

Grim night for PN

9.30pm: It is not a good night for Perikatan Nasional.

Out of the 42 seats the coalition has fielded candidates in, it has already lost in 33.

This includes Sugut, where Sabah PN chief Ronald Kiandee loses to GRS' James Ratib.

The results for nine other seats that PN is contesting are still being counted.

PKR finds victory in Sindumin, Melalap

9.26pm: PKR wins the first two seats for the federal ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan, according to unofficial results. This is after the Harapan component DAP was wiped out in all eight seats it contested.

Yamani Hafez Musa takes Sindumin for PKR, while Jamawi Ja'afar sees victory in Melalap. Both politicians have a history of switching parties.

In Merotai, however, Warisan defeats PKR's candidate Ruji Ubi, who had been touted as a potential chief minister candidate.

It was earlier reported that the seat had gone to Perikatan Nasional.

Also on the east coast, Warisan brothers, Shafie and Yusof Apdal, win their respective contests in Senallang and Silam.

GRS can form state govt without Warisan

9.14pm: With 52 seats unofficially declared, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is now in a position to form a government without Warisan.

GRS, with 23 seats, could form a state government with BN (9), Harapan (2), Upko (1), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (1), and three independents, who combined add up to 38 seats - one more than needed for a simple majority.

However, this will require GRS and BN to mend fences.

If the other non-GRS parties combine with Warisan, they will be eight short of a simple majority for now.

Pandikar not a winner after all

9.10pm: In a twist of events, GRS' own tally now shows that ex-Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia has lost in Pintasan to incumbent Fairuz Renddan - who contested as an independent.

Earlier, Bernama reported Pandikar winning the seat, according to unofficial results.

Phoong accepts DAP’s defeat

9pm: Sabah DAP chief Phoong Jin Zhe says he accepts that his party has lost in the state election even though the full official results have yet to be announced.

The party will conduct a post-mortem of the election, he adds.

"As the Sabah DAP chief, this result reflects the disappointment that the people of Sabah have in us," he says in a livestream on Facebook.

In a separate statement, Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Chan Foong Hin says his loss in Tanjung Aru will spur him to redouble his work in Kota Kinabalu, where he is the MP.

"I humbly accept and respect the results of this election. The people of Sabah have made their choice, and I take it as a meaningful reminder to continue to reflect, improve, and work harder for the progress of Kota Kinabalu," he adds.

Loke accepts blame for Sabah wipeout

8.40pm: DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has taken full responsibility for the party’s wipeout in the Sabah state election, where it failed to retain a single seat.

In a Facebook post, Loke said DAP accepts and respects the verdict delivered by voters in all eight constituencies it contested.

“The party leadership will learn from this outcome, reassess all our weaknesses, and work towards regaining the support of the people in the next election.

“Sabah DAP still has two representatives at the parliamentary level, and both DAP MPs will intensify their efforts and work in the Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan areas,” he added.

A few more seats to go

8.39pm: More than half the 73 seats have been unofficially declared so far.

In theory, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (21 seats), Warisan (11), BN (5), Upko (1), and two independent winners could form the government as they have 40 seats altogether.

About 37 seats are required for a simple majority in the state assembly.

However, this is unlikely to occur because the parties have, at the onset, stated that they will not work with each other.

Amanah’s sole candidate loses

8.33pm: Pakatan Harapan's sole Amanah candidate Zulfikar Mijan has lost in his bid for the Sulabayan seat to Jaujan Sambakong of Warisan.

Jaujan is the incumbent in that constituency.

PKR fails to win Petagas

8.30pm: PKR has lost in Petagas.

Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) had marked the seat won by an independent.

According to sources, former Putatan MP Awang Hussaini Sahari lost to his brother and incumbent Awang Ahmad Sah - who contested as an independent.

Awang Ahmad Sah previously won the seat in 2020 under a Warisan ticket.

GRS has also marked Kukusan as won by an independent, but it is not clear which of the two unaffiliated candidates came out on top.

Anifah loses in Bongawan

8.21pm: Former cabinet minister Anifah Aman loses in his bid to capture the Bongawan seat.

BN’s Mohamad Alamin defeats Anifah, who contested under a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ticket, along with seven other contenders.

Warisan had held the seat when it won in the last state polls.

Unofficial: Pandikar’s wife loses in Sekong

8.05pm: Pandikar Amin Mulia’s wife, Diana Diego, has unofficially lost her bid for the Sekong seat. 

Diana, who contested under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner, was beaten by BN’s Zharif Aizat Samsudin.

The constituency was won by Warisan in the 2020 Sabah election.  

Mixed results for bigwigs

7.52pm: These are the top big names that have won and lost so far.

Caretaker chief minister Hajiji Noor, who leads Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), state BN chief Bung Moktar Radin, former chief minister Salleh Said Keruak (BN), and Upko president Ewon Benedick have retained their seats.

Losers include Sabah DAP chief Phoong Jin Zhe and his party colleague, Chan Foong Hin, a federal deputy minister. 

Arifin unofficially wins Membakut

7.41pm: Arifin Arif, Sabah governor Musa Aman’s son-in-law, has won in Membakut, according to unofficial results reported by Bernama.

Arifin is among the high-profile individuals whom controversial businessperson Albert Tei implicated in the Sabah mineral mining licence scandal.

DAP wiped out, PM’s ‘love triangle’ fails to deliver?

7.41pm: DAP has been completely wiped out, losing in all eight seats it contested.

In Kapayan, incumbent Jannie Lasimbang loses to Warisan, according to unofficial results from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

DAP's defeat marks trouble for Pakatan Harapan.

While results for PKR seats are not out yet, it shows that the alliance Harapan chief Anwar Ibrahim brokered to get support from both GRS and BN did not translate into meaningful votes that should have kept Harapan afloat.

Unofficial: Victory for Ewon

7.30pm: Unofficial results show that Upko president Ewon Benedick has won in Kadamaian, Bernama reports.

The former Sabah Pakatan Harapan chief quit the federal cabinet after disagreement with the government over its handling of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Kadamaian has a voter base of 26,240.

Looks like the end for Phoong in Likas

7.20pm: Sabah DAP chief Phoong Jin Zhe is on track to lose in Likas.

According to unofficial results from DAP itself, Phoong is trailing with about 1,900 votes while Warisan has 3,500 votes.

In terms of percentage, Warisan has around 59 percent of the votes tallied so far, and Phoong is not expected to catch up.

10 seats for GRS so far

7.19pm: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has taken a commanding lead in the Sabah election as they have unofficially won 10 seats, followed by Warisan with six seats and BN with three.

Hazem Musa ahead of race for Sungai Manila

7.17pm: Another son of the Sabah governor, Hazem Mubarak Musa, has taken an early lead in Sungai Manila.

Hazem, representing GRS, has secured 329 votes so far, with BN’s Zaini Tiksun close behind on 266.

The seat was a six-cornered contest, with 18,217 registered voters.

DAP loses in 6 seats, says GRS

7.15pm: Unofficial results from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) have DAP losing in six seats - Luyang, Tanjung Aru, Kemabong, Elopura, Tanjong Papat, and Sri Tanjong.

GRS declares itself the winner for Kemabong, while the ruling coalition says the other five seats were all won by Warisan.

Meanwhile, DAP's own results have state party chief Phoong Jin Zhe trailing with 1,600 votes against over 3,000 votes for Warisan in early results.

Ronald trailing behind James

7.10pm: Sabah Perikatan Nasional chairperson Ronald Kiandee is trailing in the Sugut seat by 700 votes against Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) James Ratib.

Game over for DAP in Sri Tanjong?

7.05pm: DAP appears set to fail in its mission to recapture Sri Tanjong based on unofficial results.

Based on DAP's own unofficial results, with almost 40 percent of eligible votes counted, the party is trailing with around 5,000 votes.

Warisan incumbent Justin Wong is leading with 7,400 votes, which is about 53 percent of the votes tallied thus far.

Warisan ahead of DAP in Luyang

7pm: In Luyang, Sabah DAP chief Phoong Jin Zhe's replacement Chan Loong Wei in the seat is struggling to keep it for the party.

Again, Warisan is taking the lead with over 3,300 votes thus far, while Chan has close to 1,700 votes. SAPP is in third place with around 600 votes.

Hajiji retains Sulaman, unofficial results show

6.55pm: Bernama also declares that caretaker chief minister Hajiji Noor has unofficially retained the Sulaman seat for GRS.

Unofficial: Pandikar takes Pintasan, Bung wins Lamag

6.45pm: Bernama declares that Pandikar Amin Mulia has unofficially won Pintasan.

The ex-Dewan Rakyat speaker contested under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner against 10 other candidates.

Bernama also declares that Bung Moktar Radin has unofficially retained the Lamag seat for BN. He had won the seat in the 2020 Sabah election.

DAP struggles in Tanjung Aru

6.40pm: Yet another DAP MP is struggling in the early vote count.

In Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin is trailing behind the incumbent, Warisan’s vice-president Junz Wong.

With 10 percent of the eligible votes counted, Wong is leading with around 1,000 votes while Chan has just about 400 votes.

More challenges for DAP

6.35pm: DAP is also facing challenges in its quest to recapture Sri Tanjong whose incumbent Justin Wong also defected to Warisan in 2022.

With about 16 percent of the eligible votes counted, Wong is leading with about 3,300 votes, while DAP challenger Philip Yap has around 2,000 votes.

Early lead for Yamani Musa

6.30pm: Sabah governor’s son and former deputy finance minister, Yamani Hafez Musa, who is contesting under Pakatan Harapan, has taken an early lead in Sindumin, with Warisan’s Yusri Pungut close behind.

Yamani has secured 108 votes so far, with only 215 votes counted to date.

DAP facing tough fight for Elopura

6.25pm: In Elopura, Sandakan MP Vivian Wong is in for a tough fight to wrest back the seat for DAP.

With around eight percent of eligible votes counted, incumbent Calvin Chong - who quit DAP and joined Warisan in 2022 - is leading with over 1,600 votes, while Wong has around 1,100 votes.

Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) is also putting up a fight with over 600 votes so far.

Pandikar leading in Pintasan

6.15pm: Over in Pintasan, former Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia is also in a neck-and-neck race with incumbent Fairuz Renddan, who contested the seat as an independent.

Pandikar has 214 votes so far, while Fairuz has 177. Warisan is close behind with about 100 votes.

Unofficial: GRS, Harapan in neck-and-neck lead for Kemabong

6pm: As of 4pm, turnout for the Sabah election is at 60 percent, according to the EC.

Meanwhile, unofficial results are slowly trickling in.

In Kemabong, where DAP, BN, and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are squaring off in a nine-cornered fight, with around 5 percent of votes counted, the early race has incumbent GRS and Pakatan Harapan in a neck-and-neck lead, with 446 and 434 votes respectively.

Meanwhile, BN has just bagged 168 votes so far.

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Voting begins in Sabah; Malaysiakini to report results live