The father of the nation's political reform movement clinched a landslide victory at Saturday's by-election, paving the way for his eventual assumption of the premiership
Anwar Ibrahim hasn’t lost his electoral shine. The father of Malaysia’s political reform movement clinched a landslide victory in a make-or-break by-election for the seaside constituency of Port Dickson on October 13, a poll seen as the first stepping stone on his path to assuming the role of prime minister.
The twice-jailed former opposition leader is slated to take the reins when incumbent Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad steps down in two years, though a clear timetable for the much-discussed transition has yet to be confirmed. Anwar, 71, had to first be elected as a parliamentarian as a prerequisite for assuming the top job, a criterion he has now fulfilled.
Contesting as the Pakatan Harapan government’s candidate, the veteran politician amassed a total of 31,016 votes, according to the Election Commission, trouncing runner-up Mohd Nazari Mokhtar, a candidate fielded by the Islamist opposition party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) who pulled in 7,456 votes.
Turnout for the by-election hit 58.3%, just shy of the 60% target set by Anwar’s campaign. The veteran politician’s margin of victory – 23,560 votes – is, however, considerably higher than Harapan’s former parliamentarian Danyal Balagopal Abdullah’s 17,710 majority during May’s general election, when turnout hit 83.6%.
Nile Bowie is a writer and journalist with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
Anwar Ibrahim hasn’t lost his electoral shine. The father of Malaysia’s political reform movement clinched a landslide victory in a make-or-break by-election for the seaside constituency of Port Dickson on October 13, a poll seen as the first stepping stone on his path to assuming the role of prime minister.
The twice-jailed former opposition leader is slated to take the reins when incumbent Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad steps down in two years, though a clear timetable for the much-discussed transition has yet to be confirmed. Anwar, 71, had to first be elected as a parliamentarian as a prerequisite for assuming the top job, a criterion he has now fulfilled.
Contesting as the Pakatan Harapan government’s candidate, the veteran politician amassed a total of 31,016 votes, according to the Election Commission, trouncing runner-up Mohd Nazari Mokhtar, a candidate fielded by the Islamist opposition party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) who pulled in 7,456 votes.
Turnout for the by-election hit 58.3%, just shy of the 60% target set by Anwar’s campaign. The veteran politician’s margin of victory – 23,560 votes – is, however, considerably higher than Harapan’s former parliamentarian Danyal Balagopal Abdullah’s 17,710 majority during May’s general election, when turnout hit 83.6%.
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