Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said the victories could be attributed to sympathy votes and the longstanding ties between former MP and assemblyman Bung Moktar Radin and the constituents.

Lee said sympathy votes were a “powerful factor” in the by-elections.

Bung, who died in early December, was a six-term MP for Kinabatangan, and had just retained the Lamag seat in the state election in November.

“Bung was very much an ‘orang kampung’, an image that appealed to constituents and worked very much in his favour,” Lee told FMT.

As a result, Warisan’s attempt to push voters to back a local-based party failed to resonate with the constituents.

BN’s Lamag candidate, Ismail Ayob, won the by-election with a 5,681-vote majority in a straight fight against Warisan’s Mazliwati Abdul Malek, while its Kinabatangan candidate, Naim Kurniawan Moktar, who is Bung’s son, retained the seat with a 14,214-vote majority in a three-cornered contest.

Syahruddin Awang Ahmad, also of UMS, said Naim and Ismail were able to retain dominance because the voters prioritised stability and continuity over other parties.

“This loyalty stems from a preference for the strong family legacy left by Bung,” he said.

Syahruddin said many voters were reluctant to switch allegiance.

“Voters in Sabah avoid changing parties to ensure the continuity of welfare projects and to maintain political stability at both the federal and state levels,” he said.

Tony Paridi Bagang, from Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah, said BN’s wins were expected.

“Voters gravitated towards familiarity and stability due to BN’s entrenched grassroots machinery and emotional attachment to the late Bung,” he said.