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

← 2013 7 May 2015 2018 →
Constituency of Permatang Pauh
Registered	71,890
Turnout	73.93% ( 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 1.18% 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	%	∆%
	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

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.