May 9, 2018 is a day that Malaysia's sixth Prime Minister, Najib Razak might want to forget.

The leader of the Barisan Nasional coalition and son of Malaysia's second Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein asked the electorate for a third term to govern the country.

But was rejected.

A shocking election

In the early morning hours of Thursday, May 10, the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) crossed the minimum threshold of 112 seats needed to form Malaysia’s new government, according to figures from the Election Commission.

Najib won his personal contest in the constituency of Pekan in the state of Pahang.

His vote share of 49.3 percent was enough to give him the seat, but it will come as cold comfort for the man who had hoped to win the overall election.

The caretaker Prime Minister appeared at a press conference at 11am on May 10 to concede the election.

Flanked by BN bigwigs Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Hishammuddin Hussein, a somber-looking Najib gave his first public statement on the election result after a night of being absent from public view.

First, he stressed that there was "no fraud" committed by the BN.

He then moved on to a defence of his personal legacy and record as Prime Minister.

Speaking in Malay, he said:

"Since I took over in 2009, the government has tried its best to improve the standard of living of the people and for the future.

"Almost three million jobs have been created, the level of poverty is at its lowest, and we have developed world class infrastructure. Malaysia's economy has high level of growth we can be proud of, with recognition from bodies such as the IMF and World Bank."

He said that the BN had done their utmost, and they can be proud of their achievements and record.

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Commitment to democracy

However, he had to address the elephant in the room. He continued:

"It is clear what is done is not as attractive as what is offered by the opposition

"My colleagues and I accept the decision that has been made by the people. I accept the verdict of the people. The BN is committed to respect the principles of democracy."

Although it appeared that the PH and their allies had won a simple majority, Najib said that no single party had won enough seats to form a majority.

Therefore, he said that according to the Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who is the monarch and Malaysia's head of state, will appoint as Prime Minister the candidate most likely able to command the confidence of a majority of MPs in Parliament.

He said that Malaysians should trust in the Agong to make the best decision.

No majority?

According to the official website of the Election Commission of Malaysia, Najib is technically right.

Most PH candidates had to compete under the banner of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), as they were not allowed to use a single PH logo.

For example, Mukhriz Mahathir, a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) candidate, is listed as a PKR candidate in the election results.

The total tally for "PKR" candidates is 104. But another opposition party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), won nine seats.

So the PKR, the DAP, and other PH candidates just need to agree on a formal coalition in order to obtain a simple majority of 113 seats.

Top image by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images