Penanti poll results (Updated 9.26pm)

Updated 9.26pm, 31 May 2009
Corrected on 31 May 2009 at 9.10pm

Anwar, Mansor and Guan Eng

8.37pm Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng confirms that PKR’s Dr Mansor Othman, who won the Penanti by-election today, will be sworn in as deputy chief minister I on 3 June 2009.

8.25pm The Election Commission officially announces PKR’s Dr Mansor Othman as the victor in the Penanti by-election at the IKBN tallying centre.

8.24pm The Election Commission invites all the by-election candidates on stage to make the official announcement about the poll results.

8.22pm DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng arrives at the IKBN tallying centre to celebrate PKR’s expected victory in the Penanti by-election.

7.50pm Newly-elected Penanti assemblyperson, PKR’s Dr Mansor Othman arrives at the IKBN tallying centre together with party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and vice-president Azmin Ali. Penang PKR chief Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim and PAS’s vice-president Mohamad Sabu are also present.

7.40pm PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution and DAP’s Penang executive councillor Lim Hock Seng are at the tallying centre. The independents are not at the centre.

7.21pm It’s official. PKR’s Dr Mansor has won the Penanti by-election with a 5,558-vote majority. All three independents have lost their deposits.

Penanti
CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES
Dr Mansor Othman	PKR	6,052
Nai Khan Ari Nai Keow	Independent	494
Aminah Abdullah	Independent	392
Kamarul Ramizu Idris	Independent	56

Total votes cast, out of 15,384 registered voters, was 7,100 votes. The independents garnered only 942 votes in total. The rest were spoilt votes.

7.10pm Election Commission (EC) chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusof confirms that today’s voter turnout in Penanti was one of the lowest in Malaysian history.

7.00pm All 33 ballot boxes have arrived at the tallying centre.

6.50pm Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) elections director Saifuddin Nasution tells the media that voter turnout, according to PKR estimate, is 47%. (Corrected) Out of the total number of 15,384 eligible voters in Penanti, he estimates that 44% of voters have picked PKR candidate Dr Mansor Othman. The remaining 3% have gone to the three independent candidates – Aminah Abdullah, Nai Khan Ari Nai Keow and Kamarul Ramizu Idris.

Saifuddin says this tallies with the March 2008 election figures where between 46% and 47% of voters in Penanti were hardcore Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters, and 33% hardcore Barisan Nasional supporters. The rest, he says, were fence-sitters.

What this means is that PR managed to get their supporters out today while BN supporters just didn’t come out to vote.

5.45pm The ballot box for postal votes is at the tallying centre at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) in Bukit Mertajam. Out of 15,384 registered voters in Penanti, 24 are postal voters.

The ballot boxes arrive

5.00pm Polling closes for the Penanti by-election. Bernama reports that voter turnout reached just 46.15%. Election Commision (EC) secretary Datauk Ngah Senik said in the nine-hour voting period since 8am, only 7,100 of the 15,384 registered voters in the constituency had cast their ballots.

More ballot boxes arrive