Four-way contest for Permatang Pauh by-election
PERMATANG PAUH: The Permatang Pauh by-election will see a four-way contest between Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of PKR and Suhaimi Sabudin of Barisan Nasional (BN), Azman Shah Othman of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and independent Salleh Isahak, 53.
All four will go head-to-head in an intriguing contest which may now be widely read as a battle between experience and youth.
Wan Azizah is no stranger to politics as she has cut her teeth in the political arena after her husband, one-time Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was jailed for sodomy in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, local lad Suhaimi is no pushover as he is well known and commands the respect of his party in his division's secretary post.
Little is known so far of the PRM candidate but his inclusion is a surprise as the party, what remains after it merged with Keadilan to become PKR, is seen as a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ally.
Also throwing his hat into the ring is Salleh whose political nous will be tested to the limit as he pits wits against three political entities.
Abdullah Zawawi Samsuddin, who had contested and lost in the 13th General Election, appeared at the nomination centre earlier in the day, but had opted not to contest after learning that there were two other candidates aside from BN and PKR contesting in this by-election.
Election Commission Deputy chairman Datuk Seri Hashim Abdullah, in a press conference, said that the commission expect some 80% of the 71,896 eligible voters to cast their votes on May 7.
"This is based on the turnout for the 13th General Elections, which is 88.5%," he said.
Hashim also advised all party supporters to adhere by the regulations throughout the whole campaigning period to ensure no untoward incident occurs.
The by-election is held after PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim lost the seat when the Pardons Board rejected his appeal against a sodomy conviction.
He won the seat in the 13th GE with a 11,721 majority by defeating BN's Datuk Mazlan Ismail and Abdullah Zawawi.