BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia - Opposition PKR has retained the
Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, according to the Election Commission.
Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail took the seat with
30,316 votes, while nearest rival and BN candidate Suhaimi Sabudin had 21,475,
in a reduced majority of 8,841 votes compared to the 11,721 obtained during the
13th general election.Two other candidates - Parti Rakyat Malaysia's Azman Shah Othman, 50, and independent candidate Salleh Isahak, 53 - lost their deposits in the four-cornered fight, having gained just 101 votes and 367 votes respectively. There were 843 spoilt votes.
Voter turnout was recorded at 73.71% or 52,983 voters, lower
than the last general election with an 88.2% turnout or 62,660 voters.
The Permatang Pauh seat was declared vacant when its
incumbent Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was disqualified as a Member of Parliament
when the Pardons Board rejected an application for a royal pardon sought by his
family over his conviction for sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari
Azlan.Wan Azizah, 63, is no stranger to the seat, having won it in 1999, 2004 and 2008.
In 2008, however, she resigned several months after winning to enable Anwar to contest the seat and make a return to Parliament.
Source: The Star
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