2008 Kedah state election
8 March 2008
All 36 seats in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly
19 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Azizan Abdul Razak Mahdzir Khalid Johari Abdul
Party PAS UMNO PKR
Alliance DAP-PAS-PKR coalition (informal) Barisan Nasional DAP-PAS-PKR coalition (informal)
Leader since 2003 2005 2007
Leader's seat Sungai Limau Pedu Not contesting
Last election 5 31 0
Seats won 16 14 4
Seat change Increase 11 Decrease 17 Increase 4
Popular vote 250,028 322,358[lower-alpha 1] 85,223
Percentage 35.80% 46.15% 12.20%
  Fourth party
 
Leader Liew Kard Seong
Party DAP
Alliance DAP-PAS-PKR coalition (informal)
Leader since 2006[1]
Leader's seat Not contesting
Last election 0
Seats won 1
Seat change Increase 1
Popular vote 7,510
Percentage 1.08%
Menteri Besar before election

Mahdzir Khalid
Barisan Nasional (UMNO)

 Elected Menteri Besar

Azizan Abdul Razak
Pakatan Rakyat (PAS)

The 12th Kedah state election was held on 8 March 2008. Polling took place in 36 constituencies throughout the Malaysian state of Kedah, with each electing a State Assemblyman to the Kedah State Legislative Assembly. The election was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission. The state election was held concurrently with the 2008 Malaysian general election.

In a historic result, the incumbent government from Barisan Nasional (BN) was handed an unprecedented and shocking defeat by the opposition, the first time Kedah's ruling party from BN or is predecessor Alliance Party was voted out of power since the start of the state elections in 1955. The informal coalition of Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) won 21 seats out of the 36 seats, gaining a simple majority in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly.

Background

Political parties

Electoral divisions

Issues

Campaign

Social media

Rallies

Results

Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
DAP-PKR-PAS coalitionPan-Malaysian Islamic Party250,02835.8016+11
People's Justice Party85,22312.204+4
Democratic Action Party7,5101.081+1
Total342,76149.0721+16
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation259,94037.2112–11
Malaysian Chinese Association50,0507.171–3
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia12,3681.771–1
Malaysian Indian Congress18,3762.630–2
Total322,35846.1514–17
Independents14,9902.151+1
Total698,485100.00360
Valid votes698,48597.85
Invalid/blank votes15,3222.15
Total votes713,807100.00
Registered voters/turnout873,67481.70
Source: The Star

Aftermath

As the party with the most seats in the winning DAP-PAS-PKR coalition, PAS has the priority in choosing the new Menteri Besar. Azizan Abdul Razak, the PAS Kedah Commissioner and MLA for Sungai Limau, was selected by the coalition to be its candidate, and were sworn in on the next day, in front of the Sultan of Kedah. The EXCO members consisting of 7 PAS MLA and 3 PKR MLA, were sworn in on 12 March; the sole MLA from DAP, the other party in the coalition, was excluded.[2][3]

The sole independent candidate who won the Bukit Selambau seat, V. Arumugam joined PKR days after the election, bringing the PKR MLAs to 5 and total MLA in the DAP-PAS-PKR coalition to 22. But in 2009, Arumugam resigned from his state seat, triggering the 2009 Bukit Selambau by-election; PKR retained the seat by winning the by-election.

The DAP-PKR-PAS coalition were later known as Pakatan Rakyat from 1 April 2008.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ All the figures of votes and seats are a combined result of all the component parties in BN.

References

  1. ↑ "Liew elected DAP chief of Kedah". The Star. Star Media Group Berhad. 9 December 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. ↑ "Exco Kedah: 7 PAS, 3 PKR". Malaysiakini (in Malay). 12 March 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ↑ GABRIEL, PAUL; MAJID, EMBUN (12 March 2008). "DAP rep not in Kedah exco". The Star. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Pembangkang tubuh Pakatan Rakyat". Malaysiakini (in Malay). 1 April 2008. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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