Rafizi’s Parti Bersama Malaysia Loses All 15 Election Deposits in Johor Debut

JOHOR BAHRU, July 11 — Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama) suffered a catastrophic blow in its electoral debut today after all 15 of its candidates completely lost their election deposits in the 16th Johor State Election.

The party’s maiden political outing ended in absolute disappointment as none of its fielded candidates managed to secure the statutory minimum threshold of one-eighth, or 12.5 percent, of the total valid votes cast within their respective contested seats. As a consequence of failing to clear this mandatory baseline, the newborn political vehicle—led by former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli—forfeited the entirety of its cash deposits across all 15 targeted state constituencies.

The specific seats where Bersama candidates faced total wipeouts include Bukit Naning, Mahkota, Tiram, Permas, Larkin, Kempas, Kota Iskandar, Bukit Permai, Johor Jaya, Stulang, Perling, Skudai, Senai, Bukit Batu, and Puteri Wangsa. Despite the party leadership’s high pre-election confidence surrounding their professional and community activist line-up, the final tallies released by the Election Commission (EC) proved that the southern electorate firmly favored established political fronts over new alternative startups.

The broader electoral outcome saw Barisan Nasional (BN) secure a resounding fresh mandate to lead the Johor State Government, capturing a commanding 48 out of the 56 state assembly seats up for grabs. Pakatan Harapan (PH) walked away with the remaining eight seats to form the state opposition.

Meanwhile, all other alternative forces and minor political factions found themselves completely locked out of the legislative assembly. Alongside Bersama’s clean sweep of losses, Perikatan Nasional (PN), the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), Parti Orang Asli Malaysia, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), and all participating independent candidates failed to secure a single seat in the state assembly.

-NMT