Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ended his 10-year absence from Parliament when he was sworn in at 10.05am by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia in the Dewan Rakyat.

He can now drop the “de facto” prefix from his position as opposition leader as Pandikar Amin confirmed the endorsement by Pakatan Rakyat of his leadership immediately after the swearing-in.

“According to Standing Order 4A(3), I wish to inform that from the feedback I have received, I am satisfied that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, MP for Permatang Pauh, has received unanimous support from opposition members to be appointed opposition leader,” the speaker told the House to the loud table-thumping by opposition MPs which had soundtracked the entire swearing-in ceremony.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Technorati Tags: anwar ibrahim, keadilan, opposition, parliament, permatang pauh, pkr

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won the Permatang Pauh by-election, but what was impressive was the margin of victory.

The PKR leader was returned to Parliament with a majority of 15,671 votes, exceeding the 13,388-vote majority achieved by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the March 8 general election.

Anwar garnered 31,195 votes to beat Barisan candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah, who garnered 15,524 votes, while low-key Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia candidate Hanafi Hamat lost his RM15,000 deposit after getting only 92 votes.

The details election results for Permatang Pauh from 1982 to 2008 can be obtained at Keputusan Pilihan Raya Permatang Pauh.

Meanwhile the chronology of the election day can be read at Laporan Pengundian Permatang Pauh and Live updates from Permatang Pauh.
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Popularity: 7% [?]

Technorati Tags: anwar ibrahim, election, keadilan, parliament, permatang pauh, pkr

The Permatang Pauh by-election campaign kicked off in earnest with four candidates submitting their papers at the nomination centre here on Saturday morning, although one later pulled out.

At 11.45am, returning officer Roslan Yahaya announced there were three candidates contesting the seat: PKR adviser and de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Seberang Jaya MP Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Hamad.

An independent candidate Dr Mansor Othman, former Penang PKR leader, had also submitted his nomination but later withdrew, losing his RM15,000 deposit in the process.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Technorati Tags: akim, anwar ibrahim, arif shah, barisan nasional, bn, election, hanafi hamad, keadilan, permatang pauh, pkr

The Election Commission today announced August 16 as nomination day and August 26 as polling day for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency by-election.

Three-term MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail quit the seat last week to give her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim an opportunity to enter Parliament as sodomy charges loom.

Anwar, who is the de facto leader of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition comprising his Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (Pas), is expected to win easily in the seat which is also his hometown.

The former deputy prime minister had held the seat since 1982 until his conviction in 1999 for corruption. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 4% [?]

Technorati Tags: anwar ibrahim, election, nomination, parliament, permatang pauh, polling, wan azizah

In the wake of rumours on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s imminent arrest, his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail today resigned as Permatang Pauh MP to make way for him to contest in a by-election.

Dr Wan Azizah, the parliamentary opposition leader who will keep her Parti Keadilan Rakyat president’s post, said she also sent the resignation letter to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia today.

Pandikar, who is in Sabah at the moment and will respond on Monday, is expected to notify the Election Commission immediately. A by-election must be called within 60 days after the notification date.
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Popularity: 6% [?]

Technorati Tags: anwar ibrahim, election, parliament, permatang pauh, wan azizah