Anwar won with BIGGER majority

Congratulations Sdr Anwar!

Anwar Ibrahim scored a big victory in the Permatang Pauh Parliamentary by-election on Tuesday with a majority of 15,671 over his main challenger Arif Omar Shah from Barisan Nasional, Malaysiakini reports.

Anwar polled 31,195 votes to defeat Arif Shah who garnered 15,524 votes.

Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (AKIM)'s Hanafi Mamat secured only 92 votes and lost his deposit. Official turnout was 81.01%. There were 447 spoilt votes.

The result was announced by Returning Officer Roslan Yahaya at 10.02pm at the Aminuddin Baki Hall of the Tuanku Bainun Teacher's Institute here.

Below is the update from Malaysiakini:

9.50pm: Final official EC tally -
Anwar: 31,195 votes
Arif Shah, 15,524,
Hanafi, 92.
Anwar won with a majority of 15,671.

Anwar's wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, won the seat with a 13,388 majority at the March 8 general elections.

The official voter turnout is 81.1 percent, or 47,410 out of 58,459 registered voters - which is much higher than what the EC has stated earlier. There were 599 spoilt votes.

Meanwhile, outside Tuanku Bainun Teaching Institute, thousands of jubilant PKR supporters have gathered to embrace their leader's return to Parliament.

PKR vice-president Azmin Ali is already there to address the crowd numbering some 6,000. Other party leaders like R Sivarasa and Tian Chua were also there.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and PAS' Husam Musa were also there.

Anwar also addressed the ecstatic group of supporters, thanking voters for their support. Tian said that the overwhelming victory showed that "the prime minister's racial politics is bankrupt".

"I thank the voters and consider this as a very defining moment in our history. This is in pursuant to the clamour and demand for change that you have seen during the March 8 general election," he told a packed press conference after he was declared as a winner. (Read here)

The EC made the official announcement at 10.05pm. Only Anwar and Hanafi were present at the announcement. Also present was Wan Azizah.

After the announcement was made, Anwar said that he was touched by the victory.

The victor immediately went to meet his supporters after that.

Read Kuda Ranggi's entry: Permatang Pauh - tamparan hebat kpd Pak Lah dan Najib

"I can defeat Anwar"...

...says Datuk Arif Omar Shah (left), the chosen BN candidate who will be taking on the PKR de facto leader in the Permatang Pauh Parliamntary by-election on Aug 26.

"I am confident of winning even if not by an overwhelming majority," Arif Shah declared after he was named the BN’s choice on Thursday night. (Malaysiakini read here)

He added that Anwar should be contesting in Kuala Lumpur since the PKR leader was now Klang Valley based - instead of contesting in Permatang Pauh

BN's Arif: 'Who can defeat Anwar? I can'

...The 52-year-old Arif Shah - who is also the Seberang Jaya state assemblyperson - said his selection was unexpected.

He broke into tears hearing the announcement, and his supporters were up on their feet applauding him. It is not BN's norm to select a by-electioncandidate who is already holding office- in a state assembly or Parliament.

The candidate nevertheless took the podium without haste and declared his readiness for the uphill battle, to the approval of the 1,500-odd BN supporters gathered.

In his short speech - punctuated with Mandarin sentences - he asked voters to give BN a chance and pledged to serve all communities equally.

The Umno man, popular among locals, is known for his constituencyservices and can speak fluent Mandarin, an advantage in BN's bid to woo back Chinese voters.

He successfully defended his state seat in the last general election, whilst his Umno colleagues faltered. - Malaysiakini

(All I can say is, all the best to you, Datuk, Just play it clean! Read here)