Anwar Ibrahim in resounding electoral victory

Malaysia News.Net
Tuesday 26th August, 2008

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has ended a 10-year wait to return to Parliament with a landslide victory in a special by-election.

Anwar won a majority of the ballots cast by at least 13,000 voters against his opponent Arif Shah Omar Shah from the ruling National Front coalition, Election Commission officials said.

Tens of thousands of supporters gathered outside a teaching college to wait for the announcement, which was greeted by thunderous cheers and applause.

Tuesday's victory paved the way for Anwar to return to Parliament as the head of a three-party opposition alliance, grouping his own People's Justice Party, the Democratic Action Party and the hardline Parti Islam SeMalaysia.

Prior to the vote, Anwar had endured a gruelling day of meeting voters and supporters at the 28 polling stations in his constituency.

With police helicopters hovering overhead and banners and flags lining every street in town, voters came out in full force to cast their votes.

More than 6,000 police officers, including riot police, were deployed Tuesday for the vote.

Aside from small scuffles between supporters of both sides, no major violence was reported.

But the heavy police presence, along with the throngs of supporters from both sides, caused massive traffic jams at all major polling centres.

A former deputy prime minister, Anwar sees his imminent entry into Parliament as the next step in his effort to topple the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by mid-September.

In Malaysia's March election, Anwar led a three-party opposition alliance to major gains, capturing 82 out of 222 seats in Parliament and taking control of five of 13 states.

Anwar, 61, did not run in the March election because of a ban on holding political office, stemming from a previous corruption conviction. The ban lapsed in April.

His seemingly effortless rise in politics suffered a major setback when he faced yet another sodomy allegation in June, this time by a former male aide.

Anwar, who has slammed the accusations as politically motivated, was charged with sodomy, and a court fixed Sep 10th for his trial. He is currently out on bail.

The lurid sexual allegations have done little to tarnish his popularity and might have even strengthened support for Anwar with many voters believing he has been framed.

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