PENANG : Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has retained the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat with an 11,246-vote majority.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman polled 23,445 votes to defeat his PAS opponent Subri Md Arshad.

It is the eighth consecutive victory for Abdullah who has been contesting the seat since 1978.

In the last general election, Abdullah who contested the seat for the first time as the prime minister defeated Abdul Khalid Rasid, also from PAS, with a majority of 18,122 votes.

Mr Abdullah won a landslide victory in 2004 polls, but his support has plummeted amid public anger over high inflation, rising crime rates and ethnic tensions.

Malaysia's minorities are concerned over the "Islamisation" of the country and policies that favour Malays, and Indian activists held rare protests last year claiming decades of discrimination.

After polling closed, Barisan Nasional had secured 26 parliamentary seats in the new 222-seat parliament, including eight that were won uncontested, according to the Election Commission's website.

The coalition held those 26 seats in the outgoing parliament.

The Islamic party PAS had wrested one parliamentary seat – Titiwangsa, in the capital city Kuala Lumpur – from the coalition.

The Democratic Action Party has won three parliamentary seats including one – Teluk Intan in central Perak state – taken from the coalition.


- CNA/so