In a short press conference at the Umno office here, he said Barisan Nasional (BN) accepted with an open heart its defeat in the state which it had held for the past 61 years.

“We respect the people’s choice and we will cooperate to ensure a smooth transition to PH,” the one-term menteri besar said.

He also congratulated PH on winning Johor and expressed his hope that the new state government would serve the people well.

BN only won 19 state seats out of the 56 it had contested. PH won 36 seats while PAS won one.

Khaled lost in both the Kempas state seat and Pasir Gudang parliamentary seat to PPBM’s Che Zakaria Mohd Salleh and PKR’s Hassan Karim, respectively.

When asked why he thought BN had lost Johor, Khaled, who is also state BN chairman, declined to comment.

“I don’t wish to pass any blame. I am only here to make a statement that we will facilitate a smooth transition of power,” he said.

He added, however, that there might be some good in him losing both the federal and state seats he had contested.

“This will give the opportunity for me to make a return in the future.”

BN and its predecessor, Alliance, had formed the state government in Johor since the country’s independence.

The loss is a big blow to Umno, which leads BN, as the party was founded here by its first president Onn Jaafar, on May 11, 1946.