2015 Permatang Pauh by-election

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]

2015 Permatang Pauh by-election
7 May 2015
Constituency of Permatang Pauh
Registered71,890
Turnout73.93% (Decrease 14.6%)
  First party Second party
 
BN
Candidate Wan Azizah Wan Ismail Suhaimi Sabudin
Party PKR BN
Popular vote 30,316 21,475
Percentage 58.01% 41.09%
Swing Decrease 1.18% Increase 0.60%
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

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 %∆%
PKRWan Azizah Wan Ismail30,31658.01- 1.18
BNSuhaimi Sabudin21,47541.09+ 0.60
IndependentSalleh Isahak3670.70+ 0.70
Parti Rakyat MalaysiaAzman Shah Othman1010.20+ 0.20
Total valid votes 52,259 100.00
Total rejected ballots 843
Unreturned ballots 43
Turnout 53,14573.93
Registered electors 71,890
Majority 8,84116.92
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.

References
  1. "Four cornered fight in Permatang Pauh by-election". The Star (Malaysia). 25 April 2015.
  2. "Anwar no longer Permatang Pauh MP". The Malaysian Insider. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  3. "Wan Azizah is PKR candidate for Permatang Pauh by-election". Archived from the original on May 3, 2015.
  4. "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.
  5. "Permatang Pauh by-election: PRM says Azman not from their party". 25 April 2015.
  6. "PRM denies Azman Shah is its member". www.thesundaily.my.
  7. "GST main issue among Permatang Pauh voters". The Malaysian Insider. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015.
  8. "Umno branch in Permatang Pauh dissolved after years of neglect". The Malaysian Insider. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015.
  9. "Official: PKR retains Pmtg Pauh, smaller majority". Malaysiakini. 7 May 2015.
  10. "Wan Azizah wins Permatang Pauh". The Malaysian Insider. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015.
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