ORT DICKSON, Oct 13 — Port Dickson by-election favourite Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has officially strolled to a massive victory in the by-election here, cementing his claim as the next in line to be prime minister.
According to the Election Commission, the PKR president-elect contesting as a Pakatan Harapan candidate amassed a total of 31,016 votes, easily beating the 7,456 polled by runner up, PAS candidate Lt Col (Rtd) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar.
“The winner is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim” returning officer Khairy Maamor declared at the counting centre in the Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD).
Anwar’s margin of victory is also 23,560 votes, easily eclipsing former MP Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah’s 17,710 majority from the general election.
The feat is made more impressive by the low turnout today, which was just 58.3 per cent at the close of polling today. The turnout was 83.6 per cent on May 9.
Early readings that put former Negri Sembilan mentri besar Tan Sri Isa Samad as Anwar’s strongest challenger proved wrong, as he was a distant third with 4,230 votes.
Independent Stevie Chan was the best of the rest with 337 votes while Lau Seck Yan took 214 and Kan Chee Yuen polled 154 votes.
Anwar’s Sodomy II accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, was dead last with just 82 ballots
All the independents including Isa lost their deposits as candidates must poll 1/8th of the total votes in order to get their money back.
