Kota kinabalu: The Karanaan and Melalap state seats have emerged as the initial results in the 17th Sabah State Election, as announced by the Election Commission (EC). These results mark the first official outcomes in an election that has drawn significant attention across the state.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun stated that the commission is still in the process of finalizing the results for the remaining 71 seats. These outcomes will be disclosed by the respective returning officers throughout Sabah. The EC has cited multi-cornered contests and challenging terrain and logistics in certain interior regions as factors causing delays in the transportation of ballot boxes to official vote-tallying centers.

Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun assured that the vote-tallying process is being carried out transparently and efficiently, adhering strictly to legal standards. He emphasized that further results will be announced progressively as they are confirmed.

In this election, the Sabah State Legislative Assembly consists of 73 seats, with a simple majority of 37 seats required to establish the state government. In the Karanaan seat, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) emerged victorious, securing 7,081 votes in a seven-cornered contest and achieving a majority of 5,361 votes.

Conversely, the Melalap seat was won by Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Datuk Jamawi Ja’afar, who garnered 5,064 votes. He defeated seven other candidates, securing the seat with a 525-vote majority.