2013 Kuala Besut by-election
A by-election was held for the Terengganu State Assembly seat of Kuala Besut on July 24, 2013 with nomination day on July 12, 2013. The seat of Kuala Besut fell vacant after the death of incumbent assemblyman, A. Rahman Mokhtar on 26 June 2013 from lung cancer.[1] Dr. Mokhtar was an assemblyman from the United Malays National Organization, a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which holds a 1-seat majority into the by-election. The by-election was contested by Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman from UMNO and Azlan Yusof, who hails from the Pakatan Rakyat component Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party.[2]
This by-election is viewed as critical by both the government and opposition. A win by Pakatan Rakyat would have result in a hung parliament with both coalition holding 16 seats, and potentially a fresh state election.[3][4]
The by-election was won by BN's Tengku Zaihan with a slightly increased majority. The win kept the government's wafer-thin 2-seat majority.[5] Turnout in this by-election dropped by 7% compared to the turnout during the general election two months before.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BN | Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman | 8,288 | 58.74 |  1.27
| |
| Pakatan Rakyat | Azlan Yusof | 5,696 | 40.37 |  1.22
| |
| Rejected ballots | 125 | 0.89 | 0.04
| ||
| Majority | 2,592 | 18.37 | 2.49
| ||
| Turnout | 14,109 | 79.78 | 6.92
| ||
| BN hold | Swing | 1.25
|
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References
- ^ "Umno's Kuala Besut state rep dies". Free Malaysia Today. June 26, 2013.
- ^ "In Kuala Besut, PAS, Umno settle on new faces". The Malaysian Insider. July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Odd numbers and hung assemblies". The Sun. July 1, 2013.
- ^ "Impact of Kuala Besut by-election". New Straits Times. July 11, 2013.
- ^ "Kuala Besut defeat an opportunity for PAS to take stock". The Malaysian Insider. July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
