Permatang Pauh by-election, 2015
A by-election was held for the Dewan Rakyat seat of Permatang Pauh on 7 May following the nomination day on 25 April 2015.[1] The seat fell vacant after member of parliament Anwar Ibrahim was disqualified from holding his seat after being found guilty of sodomy in a highly controversial trial.[2] Anwar Ibrahim was a member of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat and leader of the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat. In the 2013 general election, Anwar won the seat with a majority of 11,721 votes beating Mazlan Ismail of Barisan Nasional.[3]
The Permatang Pauh by-election was contested by 4 candidates, consisting of former opposition leader, Anwar's political puppet and MP Wan Azizah Wan Ismail from PKR, UMNO's Suhaimi Sabudin, PRM's Azman Shah Othman and independent candidate Salleh Isahak.[4] There were reports saying that PRM has denied that Azman Shah Othman is a member of their party.[5][6]
Campaign
Several issues dominate the by-election campaign, with the recently introduced GST being the main issue.[7]
An UMNO branch in Permatang Pauh dissolved during the campaign period, citing neglect by party leadership.[8]
Results
Dr Wan Azizah retained the seat for PR with a majority of just below 9 thousand votes.[9] Mirroring the trend shown in the Rompin by-election two days before, turnout dropped by more than 10% in Permatang Pauh. The lower turnout also means while PKR's majority is lower, their share of popular vote is practically unchanged.[10]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pakatan Rakyat | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail | 30,316 | 58.01 | 1.18 | |
Barisan Nasional | Suhaimi Sabudin | 21,475 | 41.09 | 0.60 | |
Independent | Salleh Isahak | 367 | 0.70 | N/A | |
PRM | Azman Shah Othman | 101 | 0.19 | N/A | |
Rejected ballots | 843 | 1.58 | 0.52 | ||
Majority | 8,841 | 16.92 | 1.78 | ||
Turnout | 53,198 | 74.00 | 14.33 | ||
Pakatan Rakyat hold | Swing | 0.89 | |||
References
- ↑ "Four cornered fight in Permatang Pauh by-election". The Star (Malaysia). 25 April 2015.
- ↑ "Anwar no longer Permatang Pauh MP". The Malaysian Insider. 1 April 2015.
- ↑ http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/wan-azizah-pkr-candidate-permatang-pauh-election
- ↑ http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/election-commission-expects-permatang-pauh-by-election-results-by-9pm-polli
- ↑ http://www.nst.com.my/node/81696
- ↑ http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1395450
- ↑ "GST main issue among Permatang Pauh voters". The Malaysian Insider. 27 April 2015.
- ↑ "Umno branch in Permatang Pauh dissolved after years of neglect". The Malaysian Insider. 1 May 2015.
- ↑ "Official: PKR retains Pmtg Pauh, smaller majority". Malaysiakini. 7 May 2015.
- ↑ "Wan Azizah wins Permatang Pauh". The Malaysian Insider. 7 May 2015.