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]
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Constituency of Permatang Pauh | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 71,890 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 73.93% ( 14.6%) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 A map of electoral constituencies within the state of Penang at the time of the by-election, with Permatang Pauh highlighted in yellow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Permatang Pauh by-election was contested by 4 candidates, consisting of former opposition leader, Anwar's wife 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
editSeveral 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
editWan 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 | % | ∆% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PKR | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail | 30,316 | 58.01 | - 1.18 | ||
| BN | Suhaimi Sabudin | 21,475 | 41.09 | + 0.60 | ||
| Independent | Salleh Isahak | 367 | 0.70 | + 0.70 | ||
| Parti Rakyat Malaysia | Azman Shah Othman | 101 | 0.20 | + 0.20 | ||
| Total valid votes | 52,259 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 843 | |||||
| Unreturned ballots | 43 | |||||
| Turnout | 53,145 | 73.93 | ||||
| Registered electors | 71,890 | |||||
| Majority | 8,841 | 16.92 | ||||
| PKR hold | Swing | |||||
Source(s) "Pilihan Raya Kecil P.044 Permatang Pauh". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 2018-09-19. "Federal Government Gazette - Notice of Contested Election - By-election of the Dewan Rakyat of P.044 Permatang Pauh for the State of Penang [P.U. (B) 189/2015]" (PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 2018-09-19. "P. U. (B) 221/2015 Federal Government Gazette - Results of Contested Election and Statement of the Poll after the Official Addition of Votes for the By-election of P.044 Permatang Pauh" (PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-26. | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
- ^ "Wan Azizah is PKR candidate for Permatang Pauh by-election". Archived from the original on May 3, 2015.
- ^ "Election Commission expects Permatang Pauh by-election results by 9pm polling day - The Malaysian Insider". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
- ^ "Permatang Pauh by-election: PRM says Azman not from their party". 25 April 2015.
- ^ "PRM denies Azman Shah is its member". www.thesundaily.my.
- ^ "GST main issue among Permatang Pauh voters". The Malaysian Insider. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015.
- ^ "Umno branch in Permatang Pauh dissolved after years of neglect". The Malaysian Insider. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Official: PKR retains Pmtg Pauh, smaller majority". Malaysiakini. 7 May 2015.
- ^ "Wan Azizah wins Permatang Pauh". The Malaysian Insider. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015.