Barisan Nasional wins landslide in Johor state polls with 48 of 56 seats, piling pressure on PM Anwar

Barisan Nasional (BN) secured a commanding victory in Malaysia's July 11 Johor state election, winning 48 of 56 seats — up eight from the 2022 polls — while PM Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan (PH) won only eight seats, losing four from its previous tally of 12. Analysts attributed BN's win to the star power of its candidate Onn Hafiz Ghazi and divisions among PH's opponents. Both BN and PH are rivals in Johor but federal coalition partners, meaning the result strengthens UMNO's bargaining position in the federal unity government while raising the stakes ahead of Negeri Sembilan state polls.