KUALA LUMPUR, May 11: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated Pakatan Harapan (PH) and the Unity Government on the DAP candidate’s victory in today’s Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) state by-election.
PH candidate Pang Sock Tao successfully defended the seat in the four-cornered contest when she won by a majority of 3,869 votes.
The former press secretary to the Housing and Local Government Minister polled 14,000 votes to beat Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Khairul Azhari Saut, who obtained 10,131 votes, Independent Nyau Ke Xin (188 votes) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s (PRM) Hafizah Zainuddin (152 votes).
Hafizah and Nyau lost their deposits for obtaining fewer than one-eighth of the votes cast in the by-election.
A total of 40,226 electors were eligible to vote in the by-election, including 625 police personnel, 238 military personnel and their spouses, as well as one overseas absentee voter. Voter turnout today was 61.51 per cent.
Pang, 31, in a white shirt and black pants, arrived at the vote-tallying centre at the Hulu Selangor Multi-Purpose Hall and District Sports Complex here at 9.44 pm, accompanied by Selangor PH chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Lee Kee Hiong, 58, of DAP on March 21 from cancer. In the state election in August last year, Lee defeated three challengers from PN, PRM and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) with a majority of 4,119 votes.
The victory registered by Pang, representing the Unity Government, meant that the KKB seat has been a PH stronghold since 2013.
Pang is an electrical and electronic engineering graduate of Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN).
The by-election is the seventh to be held after the 15th general election in 2022.
Speaking at PKR’s 25th anniversary celebration at Sentul Depot here tonight, Anwar said: “(DAP secretary-general) Anthony Loke, congratulations on the victory in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election… a fight to victory… (and) now we defend that win.” .
BERNAMA
BERNAMA