1969 Malaysian general election

1969 Malaysian general election

← 1964 10 May 1969 – 4 July 1970 1974 →

All 144 seats in the Dewan Rakyat
73 seats needed for a majority
Registered3,439,313
Turnout73.53%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Tunku Abdul Rahman Burhanuddin al-Helmy Goh Hock Guan
Party Alliance PAS DAP
Last election 58.53%, 89 seats 14.64%, 9 seats 2.05%, 1 seat
Seats won 74 12 13
Seat change Decrease 15 Increase 3 Increase 12
Popular vote 1,076,507 501,123 286,606
Percentage 44.94% 20.92% 11.96%
Swing Decrease13.59pp Increase6.28pp Increase9.91pp

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
  SUPP
Leader Syed Hussein Alatas S. P. Seenivasagam Ong Kee Hui
Party Gerakan PPP SUPP
Last election 3.40%, 2 seats 3 seats
Seats won 8 4 5
Seat change New Increase 2 Increase 2
Popular vote 178,971 80,756 72,754
Percentage 7.47% 3.37% 3.04%
Swing New Decrease0.04pp

  Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party
 
Leader Stephen Kalong Ningkan Mustapha Harun Jugah Barieng
Party SNAP USNO Pesaka
Last election 4 seats 6 seats
Seats won 9 13 2
Seat change Increase 5 Increase 7 New
Popular vote 64,593 13,634 30,765
Percentage 2.70% 0.57% 1.28%
Swing New


Prime Minister before election

Tunku Abdul Rahman
Alliance

Prime Minister-designate

Tunku Abdul Rahman
Alliance

General elections were held in Malaysia on Saturday, 10 May 1969, although voting was postponed until between 6 June and 4 July 1970 in Sabah and Sarawak.[1] This election marked the first parliamentary election held in Sabah and Sarawak after the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

The elections resulted in the return to power, with a reduced majority, of the ruling Alliance Party, comprising the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association, and the Malayan Indian Congress. The Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which had campaigned against Bumiputra privileges outlined by Article 153 of the Constitution, made major gains in the election.[2] Voter turnout was 73.6%. Opposition won 54 seats in total causing the Alliance to lose its two-thirds majority in the Parliament (two-thirds majority being the majority required to pass most constitutional amendments) for the first time.

The elections also saw Alliance lose its majority in Perak, Selangor and Penang in addition to Kelantan. The result of the election and subsequent reactions would cause widespread race riots also known as the 13 May Incident. As a consequence of this incident, the federal government decided to suspend parliament and government administration was monitored by MAGERAN until 1971.[3] It also marked the end of Tunku Abdul Rahman's administration as Prime Minister before he was succeeded by Tun Abdul Razak several months later. Razak would then seek the main purpose to establish the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.[4]

State elections also took place in 330 state constituencies in 12 (out of 13, except Sabah) states of Malaysia on the same day.

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p152 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
  2. ^ Report on the parliamentary (Dewan Rakyat) and state legislative assembly general elections 1969 of the states of Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak Archived 4 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Election Commission of Malaysia
  3. ^ "May 13: Why Malaysiakini revisited an old, but persistent, wound". 16 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Kuala Lumpur History Facts and Timeline: Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory, Malaysia".