2015 Permatang Pauh by-election

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2015 Permatang Pauh by-election
Flag of Malaysia.svg
  2013 7 May 2015 2018  

Constituency of Permatang Pauh
Registered71,890
Turnout73.93% (Decrease2.svg 14.6%)
 First partySecond party
  Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, 2019 (3x4 crop).jpg
BN
Candidate Wan Azizah Wan Ismail Suhaimi Sabudin
Party PKR BN
Popular vote30,31621,475
Percentage58.01%41.09%
SwingDecrease2.svg 1.18%Increase2.svg 0.60%

Permatang Pauh federal constituency.svg
A map of electoral constituencies within the state of Penang at the time of the by-election, with Permatang Pauh highlighted in yellow.

MP before election

Anwar Ibrahim
PKR

Elected MP

Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
PKR

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]

Contents

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.
PartyCandidateVotes % ∆%
PKR Wan Azizah Wan Ismail 30,31658.01- 1.18
BN Suhaimi Sabudin21,47541.09+ 0.60
Independent Salleh Isahak3670.70+ 0.70
Parti Rakyat Malaysia Azman Shah Othman1010.20+ 0.20
Total valid votes52,259 100.00
Total rejected ballots843
Unreturned ballots43
Turnout53,14573.93
Registered electors71,890
Majority8,84116.92
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.

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References