2014 Bukit Gelugor by-election explained

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]

Notes and References

  1. News: The Malaysian Insider. Bukit Gelugor by-election set for May 25, nominations May 12, says polls body. 24 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140424133624/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bukit-gelugor-by-election-set-for-may-25-nominations-may-12-says-polls-body#. 2014-04-24. dead.
  2. News: The Malaysian Insider. Karpal Singh dies in road accident, son injured. 17 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140419032437/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/karpal-singh-dies-in-road-accidentt#. 2014-04-19. dead.
  3. News: . Karpal Singh's Death: Bukit Gelugor MP killed in crash, son injured . 17 April 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140417165019/http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-karpal-singh-s-death-font-bukit-gelugor-mp-killed-in-crash-son-injured-1.570474 . 2014-04-17 .
  4. News: The Star. Karpal Singh: One and only Tiger. 17 April 2014.
  5. News: The Malay Mail. Karpal's Bukit Gelugor seat will stay DAP's, analysts say. 24 April 2014.
  6. Web site: Undi.info . 2014-04-17 . 2014-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140419012316/http://undi.info/penang/p/P51 . dead .
  7. News: The Malaysian Insider. Ramkarpal to defend dad's Bukit Gelugor seat. 10 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140513174703/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ramkarpal-to-defend-dads-seat#. 2014-05-13. dead.
  8. News: Malaysiakini. MCA to stay clear of Bukit Gelugor rumble. 10 May 2014.
  9. News: The Malaysian Insider. Bukit Gelugor by-election will only spell humiliating defeat for MCA, say analysts. 12 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140515025627/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bukit-gelugor-by-election-would-only-spell-humiliating-defeat-for-mca-say-a#. 2014-05-15. dead.
  10. News: The Malaysian Insider. In Barisan's absence, DAP can expect easy win in Bukit Gelugor. 12 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140513171601/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/with-barisans-absence-dap-can-expect-easy-win-in-bukit-gelugor#. 2014-05-13. dead.
  11. News: Free Malaysia Today. Never-ending drama from Abu Backer. 24 May 2014.
  12. News: The Malaysian Insider. It's official… Ramkarpal wins Bukit Gelugor, challengers lose their deposit. 25 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140527203001/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/election-commission-declares-ramkarpal-winner-in-bukit-gelugor#. 2014-05-27. dead.
  13. News: Free Malaysia Today. Ramkarpal falls short of dad's majority. 25 May 2014. 25 May 2014. 25 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140525200621/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/05/25/ramkarpal-falls-short-of-dads-majority/. dead.
  14. News: Malaysiakini. zh:行动党3万7千多数票守土蓝卡巴：国会，我来了！. 25 May 2014. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/263833. zh.

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