MALAYSIA

LAST ELECTIONS

Also available: Archive of past election results for this chamber

Chamber:

Dewan Rakyat

Dates of election / renewal (from/to):

8 March 2008

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for all the seats in the House of Representatives following premature dissolution of this body on 13 February 2008. Elections to the House of Representatives had previously taken place on 21 March 2004.

Background and outcome of elections:

On 13 February 2008, King Sultan Mizan Zainal Abi dissolved Parliament on the advice of Prime Minister Badawi Abdullah, paving the way for early elections to the House of Representatives to be held on 8 March. The elections were constitutionally due by March 2009, but have traditionally been held in the fourth year of parliament's five-year term in this country of 26 million inhabitants (66% ethnic Malay, 25% ethnic Chinese and 8% ethnic Indian).

In the elections held in March 2004, the National Front (NB), the multi-ethnic 14-party coalition that includes Prime Minister Abdullah's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), had won 199 of the 219 seats at stake, its eleventh consecutive victory. The opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP), which has the support of the country's ethnic Chinese, had won 12 seats. The Alternative Front, composed of the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) and the People's Justice Party (Parti KeADILan Rakyat, PKR), had won seven seats.

Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, criticized the early elections, which took place one month before the ban on his participation in elections was due to expire. Mr. Ibrahim, an outspoken critic of former prime minister Mr. Mohamad Mahathir, was convicted of corrupt practices and sodomy in a controversial 1999 court decision and barred from running for election until 15 April 2008. His wife and PKR president, Mrs. Waz Azizah, said that if she was elected in the 2008 elections, she would step down so that Mr. Ibrahim would be able to contest the by-election.

The 2008 elections to the enlarged 222-seat House of Representatives were held amid increasing ethnic and religious tension and concern over crime, rising food and fuel prices. In November 2007, over 10,000 ethnic Indians led street protests, insisting that they were victims of official discrimination. The 37-year-old affirmative action programme favouring ethnic Malay applications for government jobs and educational institutions was reportedly unpopular among ethnic Chinese and Indians. The Government argued that the monthly income of ethnic Indians was higher than the national average.

Prime Minister Abdullah called on voters to renew the NB's mandate, arguing that its numerous programmes had reduced poverty from 60 per cent at the time of independence to the current 5.7 per cent. He emphasized that the NB had the necessary experience and capability to further develop the country.

Before the 2008 elections, the DAP and the PKR agreed not to field candidates in the same constituencies, so as to avoid splitting the opposition vote. The DAP aimed to prevent a two-thirds majority of the ruling parties in the Parliament and said it would abolish the system whereby Senators are appointed. Mr. Ibrahim's legacy reportedly boosted support for the PKR, which ran on an anti-corruption platform. Many opposition candidates conveyed their campaign messages via the Internet.

The Election Commission introduced transparent plastic ballot boxes for the first time. Its original plan to use indelible ink to prevent multiple voting was cancelled at the last minute, a decision criticized by the PKR. The Election Commission announced that the decision had been taken to ensure smooth conduct of elections.

Nearly 11 million citizens registered to vote. The unofficial turnout nationwide was estimated to be around 50 per cent because of low turnout in urban areas.

The NB remained the largest force in the new parliament with 140 seats but failed to secure a two-thirds majority, its worst result since the country's independence in 1957. Former prime minister Mahathir called for Mr. Abdullah's resignation, a demand the latter rejected.

The opposition parties took a total of 47.8 per cent of the votes nationwide. The number of seats controlled by the opposition jumped from 19 to 82. The PKR won 31, followed by the DAP with 28. The PAS took 23. Mrs. Azizah (PKR) was re-elected, paving the way for Mr. Ibrahim's possible return to parliament.

On 10 March, Mr. Abdullah was sworn in as prime minister for a second five-year term.

The newly elected House of Representatives held its first session on 28 April, and elected Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Hj Mulia as its new Speaker.

STATISTICS


Round no 1 (8 March 2008): Election results
Number of registered electors		10'922'139
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes



Round no 1: Distribution of votes

Political Group	Candidates	Votes	%
National Front (BN)
People's Justice Party (PKR)
Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group

Total

National Front (BN)

140

People's Justice Party (PKR)

Democratic Action Party (DAP)

Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS)

Comments:

Sources:
- http://www.spr.gov.my/
- Parliament (09.04.2008)

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men:

198

Women:

Percent of women:

10.81

Distribution of seats according to age:

Distribution of seats according to profession:

Also available: Archive of past election results for this chamber

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