2013 Penang state election

2013 Penang state election
← 2008 5 May 2013 (2013-05-05) 2018 →
40 seats to the Penang State Legislative Assembly
21 seats needed for a majority
Registered846,232
Turnout735,639
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Lim Guan Eng Teng Chang Yeow
Party DAP GERAKAN
Alliance PR BN
Leader since 4 September 2004 22 April 2012
Leader's seat Air Putih Bukit Tengah (lost)
Last election 29 seats, 58.90% 11 seats, 40.96%
Seats before 29 11
Seats won 30 10
Seat change Increase1 Decrease1
Popular vote 490,978 233,246
Percentage 67.53% 32.09%
Swing Increase8.63% Decrease8.87%
Pakatan Rakyat seats:
  DAP
  PKR
  PAS

Opposition seats:

  UMNO
Chief Minister before election

Lim Guan Eng
Pakatan Rakyat (DAP)

Elected Chief Minister

Lim Guan Eng
Pakatan Rakyat (DAP)

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The 13th Penang election was held on 5 May 2013. Polling took place in 40 constituencies throughout the State of Penang, with each electing a State Assemblyman to the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The election was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission.

The legislative body had been dissolved on 5 April by the Governor of Penang, Abdul Rahman Abbas, on the advice of the incumbent Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, who also led the state's ruling coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (PR).[1] Electoral candidates were nominated on 20 April.[2]

The PR not only successfully defended its two-thirds majority in the Penang State Legislative Assembly, it also captured an additional constituency from the state opposition, Barisan Nasional (BN), bringing PR's tally to 30 seats. This was despite BN's massive campaign in Penang, which included sponsored performances by Psy, Busta Rhymes and Ludacris in George Town.[3][4] It was later revealed that BN's large-scale attempt at recapturing Penang, which it lost in the previous election, received substantial financial funding from Jho Low, a Penang-born tycoon notorious for his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.[4][5]

  1. ^ Shankar, Athi (5 April 2013). "Penang assembly dissolved, EC to decide dates on Wednesday". Free Malaysia Today. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. ^ Woon, Leven; Ariffin, Lisa (10 April 2013). "Polls fixed for May 5". Free Malaysia Today. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  3. ^ Loone, Susan (11 February 2013). "PM asks: Are you ready for BN? Crowd says 'No!'". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b Story, Louise; Saul, Stephanie (8 February 2015). "Jho Low, Well Connected in Malaysia, Has an Appetite for New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Jho Low helped disburse BN election spending". Malaysiakini. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2018.