KOTA BARU, Aug 18 — Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) director for the Nenggiri by-election Tan Sri Annuar Musa has alleged that 2,000 people did not vote in the polls due to rumours of vote-buying, claiming that it affected the coalition’s chances.

"More than 2,000 PN voters did not go out to vote because there were rumours that others were receiving money,” he wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.

Annuar, who is also a PAS member, made these claims shortly after voting ended.

"The high voting rate may give BN an advantage,” he added.

BN candidate Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani was officially named the new Nenggiri assemblyman after winning the by-election.

The 38-year-old father of three defeated PN candidate Rizwadi Ismail, securing 9,091 votes compared to Rizwadi’s 5,739.

Mohd Azmawi won the seat with a majority of 3,352 votes over his rival Rizwadi last night, flipping the seat with a margin of victory over four times what PN managed in the state election last year.

PN has a virtual stranglehold over the Kelantan state assembly, where PAS and Bersatu control 42 out of its 45 seats.