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 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

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

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]

Malaysian general by-election, 7 May 2015: Permatang Pauh
The by-election was called due to the disqualification of incumbent, Anwar Ibrahim after being found guilty of sodomy.
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

References

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