KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) retained the Satok state seat in the 12th Sarawak election when its candidate, Datuk Ibrahim Baki defeated his two challengers with a 6,033-vote majority.

Satok returning officer Dr Hadysyam Junaidi announced that Ibrahim obtained 6,991 votes while Awang Badele Awang Ali of Parti Bumi Kenayalang (PBK) secured 415 votes and PKR's Dr Nor Irwan Ahmad Nor garnered 958 votes.

At the 11th election, Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg won the Satok seat for an eighth term after defeating PKR's Mohammad Salleh Shawkatali with a majority of 5,045 votes.

Hadysyam said the voter turnout for the Satok seat was 59.29 per cent while 71 ballot papers were rejected.

Ibrahim was named as the GPS candidate for Satok to replace Abang Johari, who contested in Gedong this time.

-- BERNAMA