Wan Azizah ‘Chewed’ BN in victorious Kajang move

(Rakyat Post) – Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has won the Kajang by-election, albeit with a reduced majority, after all 88 boxes were tallied at the counting centre in Stadium MPKj tonight.

Wan Azizah defeated her opponent, Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun with a 5,379 majority after garnering 16,741 votes.

Chew meanwhile garnered 11,362 votes.

Kajang has a total of 39,728 registered voters in the constituency, renowned for its ‘satay’.

In the 13th general election, PKR’s Lee Chin Cheh defeated MCA’s Lee Ban Seng with a 6,824 majority.

The result was announced by returning officer Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman.

Present at the Kajang sports complex where the ballot counting was carried out were PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Wan Azizah’s win however comes as no surprise as political analysts expected PKR to retain the Kajang seat after it fell vacant when Lee stepped down in January.

Lee’s resignation was part of a political strategy dubbed the “Kajang Move” which was originally meant to pave way for de facto PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in the by-election.

However, Wan Azizah replaced her husband, after the Court of Appeal overturned Anwar’s acquittal for sodomising his former aide a few days before nomination, automatically disqualifying him from vying for a state seat.

Wan Azizah’s win concludes an 11-day campaign which also witnessed heated standoffs between Pakatan Rakyat and BN supporters.

Federal Reserve Units (FRU had to be deployed to manage crowds of supporters at the polling centres today, who heckled each other from across the streets.

Fisticuffs were also reported, allegedly between supporters in Sungai Chua, while PKR supporters were reportedly also harassed in Sungai Kantan.