Bukit Gelugor by-election, 2014

A by-election was held for the Dewan Rakyat parliamentary seat of Bukit Gelugor on 25 May 2014 following the nomination day on 12 May 2014.[1] The seat fell vacant after the passing of the incumbent MP, Karpal Singh in a motor accident near Kampar, Perak on 17 April 2014.[2][3] Karpal hailed from the Democratic Action Party, a component party of Pakatan Rakyat.[4] A political and legal veteran, he served in the Parliament since 1978 (except for a brief period) and as the chairman of the DAP from 2004 until 2014. He won by a majority of 41,778 votes against Barisan Nasional (Malaysian Chinese Association) candidate Teh Beng Yeam in the 2013 general election.[5][6]

The DAP fielded Ramkarpal Singh, Karpal's son and a lawyer.[7] Hours after Ramkarpal's candidacy was announced, MCA decided to defer from contesting the by-election thus leaving BN with no candidate in the by-election.[8][9] BN chief and Prime Minister Najib Razak indicated that BN would instead throw support on other candidates. Parti Cinta Malaysia vice-president and former BN MP for Batu Kawan Huan Cheng Guan contested in the by-election along with two independents Mohamed Nabi Bux Mohamed Abdul Sathar and Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan.[10] Abu Backer withdrew a day before the by-election, although his decision was not recognized by the Electoral Commission.[11] The number of eligible voters in this constituency was 82,431.

Results

Ramkarpal Singh won the by-election with a majority of 37,659 votes compared to his nearest challenger. The other three candidates lost their deposit after failing to receive at least one-eighth of the votes. The turnout in the by-election is 30% lower compared to the turnout in the 2013 general election.[12][13][14]

Dewan Rakyat: Bukit Gelugor by-election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Pakatan Rakyat Ramkarpal Singh 41,242 89.95 Increase10.07
Parti Cinta Malaysia Huan Cheng Guan 3,583 7.81 N/A
Independent Mohd Nabi Bux Mohd Abd Sathar 799 1.74 N/A
Independent Abu Backer Sidek Mohammad Zan 225 0.49 N/A
Rejected ballots 539 1.16 Increase0.23
Majority 37,659 82.14 Increase22.38
Turnout 46,388 56.27 Decrease29.88
Pakatan Rakyat hold Swing N/A

References

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