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{{Short description|
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Malaysia
| type = parliamentary
| previous_election = 2004 Malaysian general election
| previous_year = 2004
| previous_mps = Members of the Dewan Rakyat, 11th Malaysian Parliament
| next_election = 2013 Malaysian general election
| next_year = 2013
| seats_for_election = All 222 seats in the [[Dewan Rakyat]]
| election_date = {{Start date|df=yes|2008|3|8}}
|
| majority_seats = 112
| registered = 10,740,228
| turnout = 75.38%
| image1 = Abdullah Badawi 2008 elections (cropped 3to4 portrait).jpg
| leader1 = [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]]
| party1 = [[Barisan Nasional]]
| popular_vote1 = '''4,036,248'''
| percentage1 = '''50.96%'''
| swing1 = {{decrease}}12.86pp
| last_election1 = 63.82%, 198 seats
| seats1 = '''140'''
| seat_change1 = {{decrease}} 58
| image2 = Wan Azizah (3to4).jpg
| leader2 = [[Wan Azizah Wan Ismail]]
| party2 = [[Pakatan Rakyat]]
| popular_vote2 = 3,746,028
| percentage2 = 47.30%
| swing2 = {{increase}}13.37pp
| last_election2 = 33.93%, 20 seats
| seats2 = 82
| seat_change2 = {{increase}} 62
| title = [[Prime Minister of Malaysia|Prime Minister]]
| before_election = [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]]
| before_party = Barisan Nasional
| after_election = [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]]
| after_party = Barisan Nasional
| map_image = Malaysia election results map 2008.svg
| map_caption = Results by constituency
}}
General elections were held in Malaysia on Saturday, 8 March 2008. Voting took place in all 222 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the dominant house of Parliament. [[2008 Malaysian state elections|State elections]] also took place in 505 state constituencies in 12 of the 13 states (excluding [[Sarawak State Legislative Assembly|Sarawak]]) on the same day.
The 11th Parliament was dissolved on 13 February 2008, and the following day, the [[Election Commission of Malaysia|Election Commission]] announced nominations would be held on 24 February, with general [[Voting|polling]] set for 8 March.<ref name="Nom poll dates">{{cite news|title=Nomination day on Feb 24, polls on March 8 |date=14 February 2008 |url=http://thestar.com.my/elections2008/story.asp?file=/2008/2/14/election2008/20080214114945&sec=election2008&focus=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221094540/http://thestar.com.my/elections2008/story.asp?file=/2008/2/14/election2008/20080214114945&sec=election2008&focus=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 February 2013 |work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |access-date=14 February 2008 }}</ref> [[Dewan Undangan Negeri|State assemblies]] of all states except [[Sarawak State Legislative Assembly|Sarawak]] (due to election in [[2006 Sarawak state election|2006]]) also dissolved and their elections took place at the same time.<ref name="Nom poll dates"/>
Political parties were reported to have begun preparations for the polls as early as January 2008.<ref name="Dry run">{{cite news|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/10/nation/19965412 |title=Election dry runs almost done |access-date=22 January 2008 |date=10 January 2008 |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521103013/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F1%2F10%2Fnation%2F19965412 |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref> As in 2004, the incumbent [[National Front (Malaysia)|National Front]] coalition, the ruling political alliance since independence, as well as [[Opposition (Malaysia)|opposition parties]] represented primarily by [[Democratic Action Party (Malaysia)|Democratic Action Party]] (DAP), the [[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS), and [[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]] (PKR) contested the election.
As with all preceding general elections following independence, the parliamentary election was won by BN, but this election also yielded the worst results in the coalition's history until the election [[2018 Malaysian general election|ten years later]]. Opposition parties won 82 seats in the 222-seat [[Dewan Rakyat]] and 47.79% of the vote, while BN only
It marked the first time since the [[1969 Malaysian general election|1969 election]] that the coalition did not win a [[Supermajority#Two-thirds majority|two-thirds supermajority]] in the Malaysian Parliament required to pass amendments to the [[Constitution of Malaysia|Malaysian Constitution]]. In addition, five of the twelve contested state legislatures were won by the opposition, compared with only one in the last election but [[Perak State Legislative Assembly|Perak]] was [[2009 Perak constitutional crisis|retaken]] by Barisan Nasional after 11-
As of the [[2022 Malaysian general election|2022 general election]], this is the last time the [[Barisan Nasional|National Front]] won the overall popular vote.
==Background==
The [[Parliament of Malaysia|Malaysian Parliament]] was [[Dissolution of parliament|dissolved]] on 13 February 2008 by the [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong]] (King) on the advice of [[Prime Minister of Malaysia|Prime Minister]] [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]],<ref name="The Star dissolution">{{cite news|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/13/nation/20080213120834&sec=nation |title=Parliament dissolved, elections on |access-date=13 February 2008 |date=13 February 2008 |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524215719/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F2%2F13%2Fnation%2F20080213120834&sec=nation |archive-date=24 May 2008 }}</ref> from which a general election will be required to be held within the 60 days,<ref name="BBC News dissolution">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7242179.stm |title=Malaysian PM dissolves parliament|access-date=13 February 2008 |date=13 February 2008 |work=[[BBC News]]}}
</ref> between 13 February 2008 and 13 April 2008. The announcement of the dissolution was done a day after the Prime Minister publicly denied that Parliament would be dissolved on 13 February.<ref name="Feb 13 denial">{{cite news|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/13/nation/20311649&sec=nation |title=Parliament won't be dissolved today, says PM |access-date=13 February 2008 |date=13 February 2008 |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521103046/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F2%2F13%2Fnation%2F20311649&sec=nation |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref>
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Speculation on the exact polling date was rife, as political analysts expected polling to be held after the [[Chinese New Year]] on 7 February and during the week-long school holidays from 7 to 16 March,<ref name="Dry run"/> as schools will be available for use as [[polling station]]s. Political analysts saw a March election as an attempt by the Prime Minister to garner a fresh [[Mandate (politics)|mandate]] before a slowdown in the global and Malaysian economies, and in an effort to bar [[Anwar Ibrahim]] from contesting, as he is permitted to re-enter politics on 14 April 2008.<ref name="BBC News dissolution"/>
On 14 February, the [[Election Commission of Malaysia|Election Commission]] announced nominations would be held on 24 February, with general [[Voting|election]] set for 8 March.<ref name="Nom poll dates"/> This will allow for 13 days of campaigning to take place.<ref name="13 days">{{cite web|url=http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/world-cup-teams/malaysia/march-date-snap-malaysia-election-angers-opposition-$1203368.htm |title=March date for snap Malaysia election angers opposition |access-date=15 February 2008 |date=14 February 2008 |publisher=inthenews.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904225239/http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/world-cup-teams/malaysia/march-date-snap-malaysia-election-angers-opposition-%241203368.htm |archive-date=4 September 2009 }}</ref> Anwar Ibrahim subsequently criticised the Prime Minister on the choice of date, calling the move a "dirty trick"<ref name="13 days"/> and a sign of "Prime Minister Abdullah [...] getting personal."<ref name="Opposition strategy">{{cite web |author=Whitley, Angus |date=14 February 2008 |title=Anwar, Malaysian Opposition, Aim to Erode Majority (Update1) |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aCv93ZkPPcRs&refer=asia |
==Campaign==
[[File:BersihRallyHafiz.jpg|thumb|210px|The [[2007 Bersih rally]] was largest public protest since 1998. HINDRAF organised another large-scale rally a few weeks later.]]
The Merdeka Centre ran a survey in 2008 to gauge public sentiment and the result was published soon after. There was a series of issues raised by all sides in the run
Anger among ethnic Indians regarding issues such as restrictions on jobs, education, freedom of religion and rights, and a widespread feeling of loss of dignity have played a part during the 2008 parliamentary elections in Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5grS5WjOSUb5eC_gSY_TLD7ztrB5wD8V7SKG00 |title=Ethnic Tensions in Malaysian Election |access-date=7 March 2008 |author=Vijay Johsi |date=7 March 2008 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310154330/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5grS5WjOSUb5eC_gSY_TLD7ztrB5wD8V7SKG00 |archive-date=10 March 2008 }}</ref> One of the other main issues brought up has been whether the election would be conducted fairly. The opposition has pointed out these issues are gerrymandering of electoral districts, uneven media access, outdated electoral systems, election fraud and vote buying.<ref name="fair elections">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSKLR683920080307 |title=FACTBOX: Malaysian elections: are they fair? |access-date=7 March 2008 |work=Reuters |editor=Sanjeev Miglani |date=25 February 2008 }}</ref>
Besides, it was also alleged that the anti-[[Khairy Jamaluddin]] sentiment became another main factor in the National Front's heavy losses, as stated by Tun Dr [[Mahathir bin Mohamad]]. Khairy Jamaluddin is the son-in-law of the current Prime Minister [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]] and was accused of influencing the Prime Minister when making critical decisions.<ref name="KJ-harakah">{{cite web |author=Abdul Halim Mohd Rashid |title=Khairy bertanggungjawab kekalahan BN – Dr M |url=http://www.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13189&Itemid=28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310155331/http://www.harakahdaily.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13189&Itemid=28 |archive-date=10 March 2008 |access-date=10 March 2008 |website=harakahdaily.net}}</ref>
=== Government ===
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The government wished to retake the mandate of the opposition state of [[Kelantan]] from PAS, promising the Kelantanese people major development projects and jobs.<ref name="bernama kelantan">{{cite web |url=http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=314096 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221030850/http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=314096 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 February 2013 |title=2008 Year To Rehabilitate Kelantan, Says Najib |access-date=5 March 2008 |date=15 February 2008 |agency=[[Bernama]] }}</ref> Awang Adek Hussin, a deputy minister heading UMNO's campaign in Kelantan said that if voted in they would repair or build 500 [[mosque]]s, including a Grand Mosque, to woo Muslim voters.<ref name="yahoo mosques">{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080225/wl_nm/malaysia_election_mosques_dc_1 |title=Malaysia polls turn into fight for moral high ground |access-date=5 March 2008 |author=Jalil Hamid|editor= Laurence, Jeremy |date=25 February 2008 |agency=[[Bernama]]}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
In [[Sabah]], chief minister and Sabah BN chairman [[Musa Aman]] announced that the same formula used in the 2004 election would be used in this election with
BN coalition rolled out a major publicity campaign with a slogan promising "security, peace, prosperity" in advertisements that featured prominently in newspapers and on television.<ref name="iht ad">{{cite news |last=Zappei |first=Julia |
=== Opposition ===
The main Malaysian opposition parties, which are the [[Parti Keadilan Rakyat]] (PKR), [[Democratic Action Party (Malaysia)|Democratic Action Party]] (DAP) and the [[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS), planned to deny the ruling coalition a [[Supermajority#Two-thirds majority|two-thirds majority]] in Parliament in a bid to loosen the government's five-decade grip on power as reflected by their manifestos. The three parties highlighted Malaysia's rising crime rate, consumer-price inflation and government corruption throughout the election campaign.<ref name="Opposition strategy"/> Civil Society groups unofficially merged five opposition parties under a banner called the [[Barisan Rakyat]] (People's Front) in which they agreed on certain policy matters, particularly two civil society documents: The People's Declaration, and The People's Voice; and agreed not to contest against each other in any seats.<ref>{{cite news|work=Malaysiakini|url=http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/78511|title=Barisan Rakyat vs Barisan Nasional|access-date=26 February 2008|format=fee required}}</ref> The five parties include DAP, PKR and PAS, as well as [[Parti Sosialis Malaysia]] (PSM) and the [[United Pasok Nunukragang National Organisation]] (PASOK).
Part of the opposition campaign took place in [[Internet|cyberspace]] and new media, utilising new technologies such as [[blog]]s, [[Short message service|SMS]] and [[YouTube]].
The Opposition had also increased focus on Abdullah Badawi's performance in the last few years and being a poor leader who sleeps on the job. They mentioned that as a result of his weak leadership, matters such as crime, corruption and racial and religious tensions have increased.<ref name="ap weak">{{cite news | title=Seeking re-election, Malaysia's leader denies sleeping on the job | date=3 March 2008 | agency =[[Associated Press]]| url =http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/03/asia/AS-POL-Malaysia-Elections.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308041525/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/03/asia/AS-POL-Malaysia-Elections.php |archive-date=8 March 2008 | access-date = 5 March 2008 }}</ref> On 4 March, campaigning in Malaysia's general election took on a personal tone as rivals slung accusations of nepotism, hypocrisy, boorish language and sexist tactics. It was also suggested Abdullah is grooming his son-in-law, [[Khairy Jamaluddin]], as Malaysia's future leader.<ref name="ap no us debate"/>
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In terms of raising funds, the Opposition appealed to the public through websites and blogs for supporters to contribute funds through credit cards and bank transfers to help them print campaign posters and hold public forums. The Opposition had repeatedly pointed out that they are unable to match the ruling coalition's massive spending power.<ref name="ap no us debate"/>
===
On the nomination day, 24 February 2008, BN secured seven parliamentary seats and two state assembly seats uncontested. PAS also won a [[Kijang (state constituency)|state seat]] after the BN nominee was found to have been declared bankrupt, although this was later disproved.
On 26 February 2008, independent contender Junak Jawek dropped out of the polls for the new Parliamentary seat of [[Igan (federal constituency)|Igan]]. Wahab Dolah of BN was declared the winner. This brings the total number of uncontested wins by National Front to ten seats as of 27 February 2008: eight parliamentary and two state seats.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=New Straits Times|url=http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/Frontpage/2170707/Article/index_html|title=3 independents pull out of race|date=27 February 2008|access-date=27 February 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080301155508/http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/Frontpage/2170707/Article/index_html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 1 March 2008}}</ref>
Some PKR candidates have alleged fraud, claiming they received offers from BN not to contest. Rahamat Idil Latip, the PKR candidate for the Parliamentary seat of [[Santubong (federal constituency)|Santubong]], claimed he was told he would receive RM300,000 if he withdrew his nomination. After jokingly asking for RM3 million, he was told that it would be considered.<ref>{{cite news | first=Abdul Hakim | last=Bujang | author2=Tony Thien | title=PKR men harassed by 'buyers' | date=28 February 2008 | url=http://malaysiakini.com/news/78822 | work=Malaysiakini | access-date=6 March 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303052607/http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/78822 | archive-date=3 March 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==== Pensiangan ====
One of the parliamentary seats won unopposed by BN was in P.182 [[Pensiangan]] (Sabah), which was won by [[Joseph Kurup]] of [[Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah]] (PBRS). The two candidates who were supposed to contest in this seat were Danny Anthony Andipai ([[Parti Keadilan Rakyat|PKR]]) and Saineh {{sic|hide=y|Usau}} (independent). Both were disqualified after submitting their nomination forms after 10:00 am.
It was alleged by both rejected candidates that they were blocked from going to the nomination centre,<ref>{{cite news|work=The Star|url=http://thestar.com.my/sports/sea/story.asp?file=/2008/2/24/election2008/20080224172611&sec=election2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017192348/http://thestar.com.my/sports/sea/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F2%2F24%2Felection2008%2F20080224172611&sec=election2008 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 October 2012 |title=Joseph Kurup wins Pensiangan seat |date=24 February 2008 |access-date=26 February 2008 }}</ref> resulting in both candidates submitting their candidacies late, at 10:25 am and 10:30 am, respectively.<ref name="Pensiangan vacate seat mykini">{{cite news|work=[[Malaysiakini]]|url=http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/89257|title=Kurup's Pensiangan seat declared vacant|date=8 September 2008|access-date=9 November 2008}}</ref><ref name="Pensiangan vacate seat bersih">{{cite news|work=[[Malaysiakini]]|publisher=[[Bersih]]|url=http://bersih.org/?p=1497|title=Kurup's Pensiangan seat declared vacant|date=8 September 2008|access-date=9 November 2008}}</ref> During the one-hour objection period from 11:00 am, Kurup raised objections to the late submissions and they were accepted by the returning officer; he then disqualified the two candidates from contesting.<ref name="Pensiangan vacate seat bersih"/> Police reports were later lodged on the matter in [[Keningau]]. Joseph Kurup, on the other hand, claimed he was punched after being declared winner of the seat; he also lodged a police report on this matter.<ref name=kurup>{{cite news|work=The Star|url=http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/2/25/Election2008/20437640&sec=election2008 |title=Kurup: I was punched |date=25 February 2008 |access-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521103219/http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F2%2F25%2FElection2008%2F20437640&sec=election2008 |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref>
On 8 September 2008, Kota Kinabalu High Court judge Justice David Wong Dak Wah declared that the Pensiangan parliamentary seat which was won uncontested by Kurup invalid and Kurup's seat be left vacant,<ref name="Pensiangan vacate seat mykini"/><ref name="Pensiangan vacate seat bersih"/> paving the way for a possible by-election for this constituency. Recent amendments to the election laws, however, allow Kurup to appeal the decision at the Federal Court. The petition was filed by Andipai, and had named Kurup, returning officer Bubudan OT Majalu, and the Election Commission as respondents.<ref name="Pensiangan vacate seat bersih"/>
On 13 March 2009, The Federal Court in Kota Kinabalu overturned an Election Court decision on 8 Sep to strip Pensiangan MP Joseph Kurup of the seat and declare it vacant. Federal Court Judge [[Nik Hashim Nik Abdul Rahman]] who delivered the verdict held that Kurup was duly elected to the parliamentary constituency of P182 Pensiangan.
Nik Hashim held that there had not been any failure on the part of the Returning Officer (RO) to comply with the election laws.
==Conduct==
Previous elections in the country had fuelled complaints that an allegedly subservient [[Election Commission of Malaysia|Election Commission]], [[gerrymandering]], [[Electoral fraud|vote fraud]], compliant media, misuse of government resources and massive [[Bribery|vote buying]] gave the National Front or [[Barisan Nasional]] an unfair advantage.<ref name="ap no fair">{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/05/asia/AS-POL-Singapore-Malaysia-Anwar.php|title=Malaysia's Anwar is confident opposition will deny ruling coalition a two-thirds majority|date=5 March 2008|agency=[[Associated Press]]|access-date=5 March 2008|work=[[International Herald Tribune]]}}<!--Original unformatted ref: ((http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Global%20News&p=54&type=2&sec=3&aid=2008030415)) The article, presumably dated 4 March 2008, exists no more on 5 March 2008. See why it is important not to simply chuck in a link?--></ref> It had been highlighted to the Election Commission of Malaysia that its electoral roll has been suspect, because of the discovery that it contains nearly 9,000 people aged more than 100. This raised suspicions that the books are contaminated with [[Ghost voter|dead voters]] which leaves the election vulnerable to fraud.<ref name="reuters really old voter">{{cite news |editor=Bendeich, Mark |editor2=Miglani, Sanjeev | title=Dead or alive, Malaysia voters among world's oldest | date=29 February 2008 | agency =[[Reuters]]| publisher=[[Yahoo! News]] | url =https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080229/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_malaysia_election_elderly_1 | access-date = 5 March 2008 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
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On 4 March 2008, four days before polling, the commission announced it was cancelling the plan, citing concerns about the constitutionality of the measure – without a constitutional amendment permitting the practice, it could be illegal for a polling clerk to stop a voter from voting even if his or her finger was already marked with indelible ink. The Commission chair also claimed intelligence concerning possible conspiracies to undermine the electoral process by applying ink to the fingers of those who had not yet voted, and said it would be best to refrain from adopting the measure for the sake of public order and security.<ref>{{cite news| title=Shock reversal: Indelible ink plan erased| date=4 March 2008| url=http://malaysiakini.com/news/79147| work=Malaysiakini| access-date=4 March 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305090224/http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79147| archive-date=5 March 2008| url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the Election Commission, the decision to cancel the use of indelible ink was based on reports that certain parties tried to "sabotage" the election process in [[Kedah]], [[Kelantan]] and [[Perlis]]. The police has arrested several persons that tried to smuggle the ink through neighbouring [[Thailand]].<ref>{{cite news |author=RAPHAEL WONG |title=Ink washout |date=5 March 2008 |work=The Star|url=http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/5/election2008/20540844&sec=Election2008&focus=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430202643/http://www.thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F3%2F5%2Felection2008%2F20540844&sec=Election2008&focus=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 April 2008}}</ref>
Opposition parties widely condemned the move. PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali alleged that the commission was "colluding with BN to allow cheating in the coming general elections," and claimed that this was proof the government felt the Opposition would perform well on polling day. Dzulkifli Ahmad, a PAS and BERSIH leader, said that both organisations opposed the move, and that "We want to make it clear that we are entering this election under protest". Dzulkifli added that BERSIH would file a complaint after polling day. Lim Guan Eng declared that the decision would only benefit the ruling coalition, and demanded an explanation for the claim of adverse effects on public security: "It is ridiculous that the use of indelible ink can put the whole country into chaos and ruination." Lim condemned the waste incurred over [[Malaysian ringgit|RM]]2 million having been spent purchasing 47,000 bottles of indelible ink from India, as of 23 February,<ref name="Indelible ink arrive">{{cite news|title=47,000 bottles of ink arrive from India |date=23 February 2008 |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/23/election2008/20422242 |access-date=5 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521103200/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F2%2F23%2Felection2008%2F20422242 |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref> and said that the DAP would be investigating legal avenues to reverse the decision.<ref>{{cite news| title=U-turn on ink: A black mark for EC| date=4 March 2008| url=http://malaysiakini.com/news/79162| work=Malaysiakini| access-date=4 March 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305090328/http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79162| archive-date=5 March 2008| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title =Malaysia election officials axe indelible ink at polls | date =4 March 2008 | url =http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/332874/1/.html | publisher =Channel NewsAsia | access-date =
Response from the ruling coalition was mixed. Deputy Prime Minister [[Najib Tun Razak]], an UMNO leader, found the reversal "appropriate", citing concerns that people would be misled into applying similar-looking ink to their fingers, denying them the right to vote.<ref>{{cite news | title=Najib Describes Reversal of Decision on Indelible Ink Appropriate | date=5 March 2008 | url =http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=318599 | agency =Bernama | access-date = 5 March 2008 }}</ref> In a statement, MCA described the measure as "disappointing", saying the late announcement meant opposition parties would unnecessarily politicise the situation.<ref>{{cite news | first=Joseph | last=Aw | title=MCA raps EC over indelible ink reversal | date=5 March 2008 | url=http://malaysiakini.com/news/79211 | work=Malaysiakini | access-date=5 March 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307001841/http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79211 | archive-date=7 March 2008 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
Line 275 ⟶ 142:
Unused, the ink remained in storage until 25 November 2009, when it was burnt in accordance to government procedures. Prior to disposal, the ink was to be sold, but had passed its expiry date.<ref name="ink disposal">{{cite news | title=Indelible Ink Not Used in 12th General Election Disposed Of | date=22 December 2009 | url =http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=463862 | agency =[[Bernama]] | access-date = 22 December 2009 }}</ref><ref name="ink disposal backup">{{cite news|title=Indelible ink for 12th general election disposed of |date=22 December 2009 |agency=[[Bernama]]|publisher=[[The Malaysian Insider]] |url=http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/47338-indelible-ink-for-12th-general-election-disposed-of |access-date=22 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225102756/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/47338-indelible-ink-for-12th-general-election-disposed-of |archive-date=25 December 2009 }}</ref>
=== Rusila (Terengganu) riot ===
Polling day was uneventful except a serious incident in [[Rusila]], in [[Marang (district)|Marang]] constituency in the east coast state of [[Terengganu]], where 300 supporters of the [[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS) stopped several buses and cars they suspected carrying fraudulent voters ferried in by the coalition<ref name="AFP Rusila">{{cite news | title = Malaysia polls close after tense elections | date = 8 March 2008 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]]| work = [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] | url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/08/2184210.htm | access-date = 13 March 2008 }}</ref> and confiscating [[MyKad|Malaysian identity card]]s of the voters. When the police arrived to bring order, the PAS supporters were reported to have beaten up the police and destroyed police vehicles, including several Federal Reserve Unit ([[Royal Malaysian Police|Malaysian riot police]]) vehicles. A helicopter from the [[Royal Malaysian Army]] had to be called in. To break up the rioters, police fired tear gas, and the son of PAS president [[Abdul Hadi Awang]] was among those arrested.
== Results ==
{{Main|Results of the 2008 Malaysian general election by parliamentary constituency}}
[[Image:Malaysian general election 2008.gif|right|thumb|400px|Results by constituency]]
As polls opened in Malaysia on 8 March from 8:00 to 17:00, voters cast ballots for 222 parliamentary seats and 12 state legislatures, with [[voter turnout]] among Malaysia's 10.9 million eligible voters estimated to be 70 percent.<ref name="Reuters Penang lost">{{cite news|first=Mark |last=Bendeich |title=Malaysia govt loses key state of Penang: source |date=8 March 2008 |agency=[[Reuters]]|publisher=[[Yahoo! News]] |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080308/wl_nm/malaysia_election_dc_14 |access-date=12 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312180826/http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080308/wl_nm/malaysia_election_dc_14 |archive-date=12 March 2008 }}</ref> Barisan Nasional won 91 percent of parliamentary seats in 2004 election, but its majority is expected to be clipped this time as it suffers a backlash from ethnic Chinese and Indians.<ref name="AFP polls open">{{cite news | title = Malaysia's general elections open | date = 7 March 2008 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]]| publisher = [[Yahoo! News]] | url = https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080308/wl_asia_afp/malaysiavoteopen_080308002423 | access-date = 11 March 2008 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Early vote counting showed the Barisan Nasional was already faring badly in early tallies across the country with the exception of Sabah, Sarawak and Johor, as claimed by Kelantan [[United Malays National Organisation]] (UMNO) state chief Annuar Musa.<ref name="AFP rebuke">{{cite news | first = Sarah | last = Stewart | title = Malaysian coalition suffers rebuke in general elections | date = 8 March 2008 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]]| publisher = [[Yahoo! News]] | url = https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080308/wl_asia_afp/malaysiavote_080308161258 | access-date = 11 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080312225937/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080308/wl_asia_afp/malaysiavote_080308161258 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 12 March 2008}}</ref> The opposition began claiming using their own estimates that they have denied the government its [[Supermajority#Two-thirds majority|two-thirds majority]] in parliament.<ref name="AFP result claims">{{cite news | title = Malaysia's Anwar says govt denied two-thirds majority | date = 8 March 2008 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]] | publisher = [[Channel NewsAsia]] | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/333758/1/.html | access-date = 11 March 2008 | archive-date = 11 March 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080311031926/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/333758/1/.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> Political scientists called these elections "stunning elections".<ref>{{cite book |last=Case |first=William |date=2013 |title=Contemporary Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia: Structures, Institutions and Agency |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LSkEAQAAQBAJ |publisher=Routledge |page=62,77–81 |isbn=9781317988328 }}</ref>
Barisan Nasional was able to return to power and form the next government, with a [[Plurality (voting)|simple majority]] but without the crucial two-thirds majority in parliament. It is BN's worst performance in Malaysia's general election (until [[2018 Malaysian general election|2018]]) since independence in 1957, winning only 63.5% (140 out of 222) of parliamentary seats that were contested; the only other time the 14-party coalition failed to win a two-thirds majority was in 1969 when it secured 66% of the seats. Component parties in BN, including the [[Malaysian Chinese Association]] (MCA), [[Malaysian Indian Congress]] (MIC), and [[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia|Gerakan]], saw its number of state and federal seats severely reduced by half or more. UMNO also saw its number reduce significantly but not by as much as half. Also noted were MIC president [[S. Samy Vellu]], Gerakan acting president [[Koh Tsu Koon]] and [[People's Progressive Party (Malaysia)|PPP]] president [[M. Kayveas]], who were trounced in their respective election contests.<ref name="CNA bad BN results">{{cite news | title = Malaysia's BN coalition suffers worst electoral defeat | date = 9 March 2008 | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/333807/1/.html | access-date = 11 March 2008 | archive-date = 10 March 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080310234537/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/333807/1/.html | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="NST simple majority">{{cite news | title = Abdullah: BN to form govt with simple majority | date = 9 March 2008 | work = [[New Straits Times]] | url = http://www.nst.com.my/Sunday/National/2182245/Article/index_html | access-date = 11 March 2008 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
The results of several states have been rather surprising to everybody involved. Many of the states BN have lost are those on the western coast of [[Peninsular Malaysia]] where it has traditionally focused most of its attention to. These states experienced more development and investment than other states, and account for much of the country's population. The remaining states that have given BN its simple majority are states that are economically weaker than what the opposition have gained.
<section begin=Results />{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=15|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=2371867|seats1=79|sc1=–30
|party2=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes2=849108|seats2=15|sc2=–16
|party3=[[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes3=184548|seats3=2|sc3=–8
|party4=[[Malaysian Indian Congress]]|votes4=179422|seats4=3|sc4=–6
|party5=[[Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu]]|votes5=131243|seats5=14|sc5=+3
|party6=[[Sarawak United Peoples' Party]]|votes6=119264|seats6=6|sc6=0
|party7=[[Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party]]|votes7=52645|seats7=4|sc7=0
|party8=[[United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation|UPKO]]|votes8=45119|seats8=4|sc8=0
|party9=[[United Sabah Party]]|votes9=44525|seats9=3|sc9=–1
|party10=[[Sabah Progressive Party]]|votes10=43595|seats10=2|sc10=–2
|party11=[[Parti Rakyat Sarawak]]|votes11=33410|seats11=6|sc11=New
|party12=[[People's Progressive Party (Malaysia)|People's Progressive Party]]|votes12=16800|seats12=0|sc12=–1
|party13=[[Liberal Democratic Party (Malaysia)|Liberal Democratic Party]]|votes13=8297|seats13=1|sc13=+1
|party14=[[Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah]]|seats14=1|sc14=0
|atotal15=4036248|aseats15=140|sc15=–58
|alliance16=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan16=4|party16=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes16=1471150|seats16=31|sc16=+30
|party17=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes17=1166918|seats17=23|sc17=+15
|party18=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes18=1107960|seats18=28|sc18=+17
|atotal19=3746028|aseats19=82|sc19=+62
|alliance20=[[Parti Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes20=19126|seats20=0|sc20=0
|alliance21=[[Sarawak National Party]]|votes21=8615|seats21=0|sc21=0
|alliance23=[[Federated Sabah People's Front]]|votes23=942|seats23=0|sc23=New
|alliance24=Independents|votes24=65331|seats24=0|sc24=–1
|invalid=175863
|total_sc=+3
|electorate=10740228
|source=[http://www.electionpassport.com/ Election Passport], [https://electiondataarchive.org/data-and-documentation/ CLEA]
}}<section end=Results />
===By state===
==== Johor ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=5|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=379446|seats1=16|sc1=0
|party2=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes2=201996|seats2=7|sc2=–1
|party3=[[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes3=16450|seats3=1|sc3=0
|party4=[[Malaysian Indian Congress]]|votes4=15921|seats4=1|sc4=0
|atotal5=613813|aseats5=25|sc5=–1
|alliance6=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan6=4|party6=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes6=105348|seats6=0|sc6=0
|party7=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes7=104461|seats7=0|sc7=0
|party8=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes8=98938|seats8=1|sc8=+1
|atotal9=308747|aseats9=1|sc9=+1
|alliance10=[[Parti Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes10=17794|seats10=0|sc10=New
|invalid=28709
|total_sc=0
|electorate=1312121
}}
====
The state of [[Kedah]], which along with Penang, has traditionally produced a substantial bulk of past and present BN leaders (including [[Tunku Abdul Rahman]], and [[Mahathir Mohamad]]), also overwhelmingly rose to the call of the opposition. BN only won 4 of the 15 parliamentary seats but did better by winning 14 out of 36 state seats, while the Opposition took the remaining 22 of the 36 state seats, with the [[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]] (PAS) winning 16, [[Parti Keadilan Rakyat]] (PKR) four and the DAP and an independent, one each.<ref name="Star Kedah lost">{{cite news|title=PAS' Azizan sworn in as ninth Kedah MB |date=10 March 2008 |work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |url=http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=/2008/3/10/election2008/20596393 |access-date=12 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521103237/http://thestar.com.my/election/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F3%2F10%2Felection2008%2F20596393 |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref>
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan1=3|party1=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes1=185787|seats1=6|sc1=+5
|party2=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes2=175430|seats2=5|sc2=+5
|atotal3=361217|aseats3=11|sc3=+10
|alliance4=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan4=3|party4=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes4=280475|seats4=3|sc4=–9
|party5=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes5=37777|seats5=1|sc5=–1
|atotal6=318252|aseats6=4|sc6=–10
|invalid=15473
|total_sc=0
|electorate=873674
}}
==== Kelantan ====
PAS retained control of the state of [[Kelantan]], despite a vigorous campaign by the ruling Barisan Nasional, winning 38 of the 45 state assembly seats along with PKR (which has won one seat).<ref name="Bernama Nik Aziz appointment">{{cite news | title = Nik Aziz appointed MB for fifth term | date = 12 March 2008 | work = [[New Straits Times]] | url = http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2184745/Article/index_html | agency = [[Bernama]] | access-date = 14 March 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080313124127/http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2184745/Article/index_html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 13 March 2008}}</ref> It was a personal setback for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who had promised millions of dollars<!--Which type of dollar? Zimbabwean dollars?--> in development aid, intending to boost the chances of the Barisan Nasional coalition.<ref name="Reuters Kelantan lost">{{cite news|title=M'sia PM loses Kelantan state: Islamist party |date=8 March 2008 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Asia/STIStory_214864.html |agency=[[Reuters]] |access-date=12 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311200711/http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Asia/STIStory_214864.html |archive-date=11 March 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The win marked the fifth consecutive time PAS retained power in Kelantan since [[1990 Malaysian general election|1990]] and surpasses PAS's previous record of continuous electoral wins in Kelantan—four between [[1959 Malayan general election|1959]] and [[1978 Malaysian general election|1978]].
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan1=3|party1=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes1=273965|seats1=9|sc1=+3
|party2=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes2=60333|seats2=3|sc2=+3
|atotal3=334298|aseats3=12|sc3=+6
|alliance4=[[Barisan Nasional]]|party4=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes4=271736|seats4=2|sc4=–6
|alliance5=Independents|votes5=1769|seats5=0|sc5=0
|invalid=10765
|total_sc=0
|electorate=751682
}}
==== Kuala Lumpur ====
[[Kuala Lumpur]] is a [[Federal Territory (Malaysia)|federal territory]] divided into 11 parliamentary constituencies. In this election, the opposition won ten seats (five are held by DAP, four by PKR, and one by PAS), while Barisan Nasional won only one. In the previous election, BN held 7 seats while DAP held 4 seats.
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan1=4|party1=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes1=173892|seats1=5
|party2=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes2=116628|seats2=4
|party3=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes3=17857|seats3=1
|atotal4=308377|aseats4=10
|alliance5=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan5=4|party5=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes5=79320|seats5=0
|party6=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes6=60207|seats6=1
|party7=[[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes7=49348|seats7=0
|atotal8=188875|aseats8=1
|alliance9=Independents|votes9=489|seats9=0
|invalid=4663
|total_sc=0
|electorate=687451
}}
==== Labuan ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=10471|seats1=1|sc1=0
|alliance2=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|party2=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes2=1106|seats2=0|sc2=0
|alliance3=Independents|votes3=2014|seats3=0|sc3=New
|invalid=311
|total_sc=0
|electorate=20783
}}
==== Malacca ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=3|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=110855|seats1=4|sc1=0
|party2=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes2=53604|seats2=1|sc2=–1
|atotal3=164459|aseats3=5|sc3=–1
|alliance4=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan4=4|party4=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes4=60525|seats4=0|sc4=0
|party5=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes5=52110|seats5=1|sc5=+1
|party6=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes6=9297|seats6=0|sc6=0
|atotal7=121932|aseats7=1|sc7=+1
|invalid=7564
|total_sc=0
|electorate=371594
}}
====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=4|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=115995|seats1=5|sc1=0
|party2=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes2=50142|seats2=0|sc2=–2
|party3=[[Malaysian Indian Congress]]|votes3=20544|seats3=0|sc3=–1
|atotal4=186681|aseats4=5|sc4=–3
|alliance5=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan5=4|party5=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes5=67241|seats5=2|sc5=+2
|party6=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes6=54536|seats6=1|sc6=+1
|party7=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes7=32044|seats7=0|sc7=0
|atotal8=153821|aseats8=3|sc8=+3
|alliance9=Independents|votes9=601|seats9=0|sc9=0
|invalid=9740
|total_sc=0
|electorate=462015
}}
====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=4|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=199340|seats1=9|sc1=–1
|party2=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes2=59784|seats2=2|sc2=–1
|party3=[[Malaysian Indian Congress]]|votes3=9164|seats3=1|sc3=0
|atotal4=268288|aseats4=12|sc4=–2
|alliance5=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan5=4|party5=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes5=90396|seats5=2|sc5=+2
|party6=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes6=71057|seats6=0|sc6=0
|party7=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes7=21373|seats7=0|sc7=0
|atotal8=182826|aseats8=2|sc8=+2
|invalid=11470
|total_sc=0
|electorate=603242
}}
==== Penang ====
The opposition dealt a heavy blow to the Barisan Nasional government by taking the state of [[Penang]]. Although Penang was regarded as a hotly contested state, the outcome unexpectedly turned out to be a landslide win with the opposition, the [[Democratic Action Party (Malaysia)|Democratic Action Party]] (DAP) gaining the majority of the state seats. Many seats saw the opposition winning over two-thirds of the votes, rather than the usual 50-50 distribution. BN only won 2 of the 13 parliamentary seats and 11 of the 40 state seats, its worst performance in Malaysian history.
Line 324 ⟶ 313:
Another significant blow was the defeat of Gerakan Acting President, Tan Sri Dr. [[Koh Tsu Koon]], who was looking to move up from state politics, decided not to run for his state seat and subsequently gave up his Chief Minister post of 18 years, to challenge the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat. Some speculated this was part of a larger ambition to be a cabinet member, only to lose to newcomer P. Ramasamy of the DAP by a large margin of 9,485 votes.
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan1=4|party1=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes1=209756|seats1=7|sc1=+3
|party2=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes2=93915|seats2=4|sc2=+3
|party3=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes3=28100|seats3=0|sc3=0
|atotal4=331771|aseats4=11|sc4=+6
|alliance5=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan5=4|party5=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes5=93007|seats5=2|sc5=–2
|party6=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes6=64442|seats6=0|sc6=–1
|party7=[[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes7=52719|seats7=0|sc7=–3
|atotal8=210168|aseats8=2|sc8=–6
|alliance9=Independents|votes9=882|seats9=0|sc9=0
|invalid=8444
|total_sc=0
|electorate=709323
}}
====
In [[Perak]], the Barisan Nasional suffered shock losses, including MIC president [[S. Samy Vellu]]'s [[Sungai Siput]] seat and PPP president [[M. Kayveas]]'s [[Taiping, Perak|Taiping]] seat. UMNO suffered several major setbacks in the party's traditional strongholds, while most MCA, MIC, PPP and Gerakan candidates were defeated by DAP candidates.<ref name="NST Perak lost">{{cite news | first = M. Husairy | last = Othman | title = Opposition wins in Perak | date = 9 March 2008 | url = http://www.nst.com.my/Sunday/National/2182048/Article/index_html | work = [[New Straits Times]] | access-date = 12 March 2008 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
Perak was nonetheless one of the most tightly contested state of the nation with BN-Opposition parliamentary seats split into 13-11 and state seats into 28–31, still giving the opposition the chance to decide the state's government.
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan1=4|party1=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes1=189706|seats1=6|sc1=+3
|party2=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes2=172455|seats2=3|sc2=+3
|party3=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes3=87032|seats3=2|sc3=+2
|atotal4=449193|aseats4=11|sc4=+8
|alliance5=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan5=6|party5=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes5=165468|seats5=8|sc5=–3
|party6=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes6=136927|seats6=3|sc6=–1
|party7=[[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes7=43545|seats7=1|sc7=–2
|party8=[[Malaysian Indian Congress]]|votes8=28721|seats8=1|sc8=–1
|party9=[[People's Progressive Party (Malaysia)|People's Progressive Party]]|votes9=16800|seats9=0|sc9=–1
|atotal10=391461|aseats10=13|sc10=–8
|alliance11=Independents|votes11=1736|seats11=0|sc11=0
|invalid=22675
|total_sc=0
|electorate=1196160
}}
==== Perlis ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=57263|seats1=3|sc1=0
|alliance2=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan2=3|party2=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes2=27794|seats2=0|sc2=0
|party3=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes3=10150|seats3=0|sc3=0
|atotal4=37944|aseats4=0|sc4=0
|invalid=2068
|total_sc=0
|electorate=120081
}}
==== Putrajaya ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=4038|seats1=1|sc1=0
|alliance2=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|party2=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes2=1304|seats2=0|sc2=0
|invalid=38
|total_sc=0
|electorate=6608
}}
==== Sabah ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=7|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=154207|seats1=13|sc1=0
|party2=[[United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation|UPKO]]|votes2=45119|seats2=4|sc2=0
|party3=[[United Sabah Party]]|votes3=44525|seats3=3|sc3=–1
|party4=[[Sabah Progressive Party]]|votes4=43595|seats4=2|sc4=0
|party5=[[Liberal Democratic Party (Malaysia)|Liberal Democratic Party]]|votes5=8297|seats5=1|sc5=+1
|party6=[[Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah]]|seats6=1|sc6=0
|atotal7=295743|aseats7=24|sc7=0
|alliance8=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan8=4|party8=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes8=115623|seats8=0|sc8=0
|party9=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes9=30930|seats9=1|sc9=+1
|party10=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes10=6485|seats10=0|sc10=0
|atotal11=153038|aseats11=1|sc11=+1
|alliance12=[[Federated Sabah People's Front]]|votes12=942|seats12=0|sc12=New
|alliance13=Independents|votes13=28787|seats13=0|sc13=–1
|invalid=15698
|total_sc=0
|electorate=807862
}}
==== Sarawak ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan1=5|party1=[[Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu]]|votes1=131243|seats1=14|sc1=+3
|party2=[[Sarawak United Peoples' Party]]|votes2=119264|seats2=6|sc2=0
|party3=[[Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party]]|votes3=52645|seats3=4|sc3=0
|party4=[[Parti Rakyat Sarawak]]|votes4=33410|seats4=6|sc4=New
|atotal5=336562|aseats5=30|sc5=+3
|alliance6=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan6=4|party6=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes6=105650|seats6=1|sc6=0
|party7=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes7=44020|seats7=0|sc7=0
|party8=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes8=2923|seats8=0|sc8=0
|atotal9=152593|aseats9=1|sc9=0
|alliance10=[[Sarawak National Party]]|votes10=8615|seats10=0|sc10=0
|alliance11=Independents|votes11=26473|seats11=0|sc11=0
|invalid=6480
|total_sc=+3
|electorate=819274
}}
==== Selangor ====
Being the most developed state of the country and receiving the most absolute benefits due to spillover effects from developing the capital, [[Kuala Lumpur]], Barisan Nasional party leaders were blindsided when [[Selangor]] rose to the call of the opposition. Many thought it was a safe stronghold of BN loyalists as it has been all along a centralist state leaning towards BN. According to ''[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]'''s summary of the state: "Barisan will undoubtedly retain the state but look out for some interesting, even tough, fights in certain parliamentary and state seats where the Opposition is fielding some strong candidates". Far from being the truth, BN ended up with only 5 of the 22 parliamentary seats and 20 of the 56 state seats, leaving the state government in opposition hands. The state [[Bernama]] news agency said that opposition parties had claimed 35 of the 56 seats in the Selangor state legislature but did not give a breakdown between PAS and the other parties.<ref name="AFP Selangor lost">{{cite news | title = Malaysian opposition claims Selangor state | date = 9 March 2008 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse]]| publisher = [[Yahoo! News]] | url = http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080308/tap-malaysia-vote-selangor-0193655.html | access-date = 12 March 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080312171830/http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080308/tap-malaysia-vote-selangor-0193655.html | archive-date = 12 March 2008 | url-status = dead}}</ref>
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan1=4|party1=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes1=323005|seats1=9|sc1=+9
|party2=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes2=171751|seats2=4|sc2=+4
|party3=[[Democratic Action Party]]|votes3=158364|seats3=4|sc3=+4
|atotal4=653120|aseats4=17|sc4=+17
|alliance5=[[Barisan Nasional]]|aspan5=5|party5=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes5=229417|seats5=4|sc5=–6
|party6=[[Malaysian Chinese Association]]|votes6=165116|seats6=1|sc6=–6
|party7=[[Malaysian Indian Congress]]|votes7=105072|seats7=0|sc7=–4
|party8=[[Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes8=22486|seats8=0|sc8=–1
|atotal9=522091|aseats9=5|sc9=–17
|alliance10=[[Parti Rakyat Malaysia]]|votes10=1332|seats10=0|sc10=0
|alliance11=Independents|votes11=1895|seats11=0|sc11=0
|invalid=25098
|total_sc=0
|electorate=1565493
}}
==== Terengganu ====
{{Election results
|alliance1=[[Barisan Nasional]]|party1=[[United Malays National Organisation]]|votes1=239942|seats1=7|sc1=–1
|alliance2=[[Pakatan Rakyat]]|aspan2=3|party2=[[Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party]]|votes2=145955|seats2=1|sc2=+1
|party3=[[People's Justice Party (Malaysia)|People's Justice Party]]|votes3=48786|seats3=0|sc3=0
|atotal4=194741|aseats4=1|sc4=+1
|alliance5=Independents|votes5=685|seats5=0|sc5=0
|invalid=6667
|total_sc=0
|electorate=521597
}}
==Aftermath==
=== Pullout of SAPP from BN ===
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has decided to pull out of the 14-member Barisan Nasional Government, taking away two MPs and at least two of its four assemblymen who will remain independent.
The decision to pull out was made at the SAPP supreme council meeting where its president Datuk Yong Teck Lee obtained the support of nearly all of its 35 members and declared that SAPP was not joining Pakatan Rakyat.
Yong said his party would remain independent in the opposition bench until a time came when SAPP was ready to be back in government.
=== Establishment of Opposition-led state governments ===
Line 356 ⟶ 463:
It was confirmed [[Mohammad Nizar Jamaludin]] was to become the next ''Menteri Besar'' of Perak by the Regent of Perak [[Raja Nazrin Shah]]. Sitiawan state assemblyperson [[Ngeh Koo Ham]] was also appointed "Senior Exco Member". An Indian candidate will be appointed the second deputy ''Menteri Besar'', the candidates being DAP's [[Sivanesan Achalingam|A Sivanesan]] (Sungkai), KS Keshvinder Singh (Malim Nawar), [[V. Sivakumar]] (Tronoh) and A Sivasubramaniam (Buntong), and PKR's S Kesavan but this never materialised.<ref name="PAS' Nizar is new Perak MB">{{cite news | title = PAS' Nizar is new Perak MB | date = 10 March 2008 |publisher=Malaysiakini | url = http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79710 | access-date = 12 March 2008 }}</ref>
The appointment of the Perak ''Menteri Besar'' was not without drama as the coalition was not seen as cooperative. After the regent of Perak give consent on the informal coalition of DAP-
By February 2009, the balance of power in Perak was tipped in favour of BN following the defection of four Opposition assemblymen, leading to [[2009 Perak constitutional crisis|a political crisis in the state]] and the eventual retaking of Perak by BN.
Line 376 ⟶ 483:
Political uncertainty as a result of the formation of a significantly different Malaysian government, coupled with worries of a global economic slowdown due to negative economic development from the United States, led to uneasiness among investors in the benchmark [[Kuala Lumpur Composite Index]] (KLCI) and an immediate plunge in the KLCI.<ref name="int KLCI">{{cite news | title=Most Asian markets sink as Malaysian stocks slide 9.5 percent, Nikkei at 2½-year low | date=10 March 2008 | agency =[[Associated Press]]| work=[[International Herald Tribune]] | url =http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/10/business/AS-FIN-MKT-Asian-Markets.php | access-date =11 March 2008 }}</ref>
On 10 March, the first trading day since the election, stocks in the KLCI fell 9.5%, or 123.11 points, from 1,296.33 points to 1,173.22 points by 5.00 pm ([[Malaysian Standard Time|MST]]),<ref name="Reuters economy">{{cite news |title=Investors sell Malaysia on political uncertainty |author=Mar, M. |date=10 March 2008 |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService_2_MOLT/idUSSP4697920080310?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106092947/https://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService_2_MOLT/idUSSP4697920080310?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 November 2020 |access-date=10 March 2008}}
Doubts on the prospect of large scale projects initiated or managed by the Abdullah Badawi administration between 2004 and 2008 were also highlighted; the Opposition vowed to assess major government projects, including the DAP's plans to review the [[Penang Global City Centre]], a $7.8 billion<!--US dollars?--> real estate development project in Penang which have not gain approval from the local state council even after launching ceremony was held officiated by Malaysia's Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi.<ref name="Reuters economy"/><ref name="Reuters PGCC">{{cite news | first=Jalil | last=Hamid |author2=Hubbard, Richard | title=Malaysia's Equine project pending approval -report | date=12 March 2008 | work=[[Reuters]] | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSKLR31357020080312 | access-date = 13 March 2008 }}</ref> The administration's previous proposals to form economical hubs in the [[Northern Corridor Economic Region|northern]], [[East Coast Economic Region|eastern]] and [[Iskandar Development Region|southern]] regions of the Malaysian Peninsula, [[Sabah Development Corridor|Sabah]] and [[Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy|Sarawak]] had previously attracted investors, local and foreign, and boasted the KLCI, but also raised questions on how the cost of billion-ringgit projects will be paid for.
Line 382 ⟶ 489:
Other analysts see the emergence of a stronger Opposition in the parliament as an opportunity for improved transparency and corporate governance. A managing director of a multinational asset management house commented "A powerful opposition is a positive development in the longer term, providing some checks and balances for trillion-ringgit government spending."<ref>{{cite news|title=Market to react to elections outcome|author1=Fong, K.|author2=T.M. Loong|date=10 March 2008|newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|StarBiz]]|url=http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/10/business/20596256&sec=business|access-date=10 March 2008}}</ref>
[[Standard & Poor's|Standard & Poor's Ratings Services]] reports the general election has no immediate effect on the sovereign ratings on Malaysia and still maintains both the local and foreign currency rating for the country. It added budgetary decisions and fiscal policies are still in the ruling party's hands as it only requires a 51% majority instead of a two-thirds majority.<ref>{{cite news|title=S&P: No change in Malaysia's sovereign ratings |publisher=Business Times, New Straits Times |url=http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/Tuesday/Nation/spa4-2.xml/Article/ }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Moody's|Moody's Rating Service]] also shares in view and did not change its sovereign rating of A3.<ref name="AFX Moodys">{{cite news | author=Sa'odah | title=Malaysia rating, outlook unaffected by election outcome – Moody's | date=13 March 2008 | work = [[Thomson Financial|AFX News]]| url = https://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2008/03/13/afx4766581.html | access-date = 13 March 2008 }}{{dead link|date=January 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
===International reaction===
On 9 March [[United States]] [[United States Department of State|State Department]] spokesman Kurtis Cooper issued a statement that the US government is ready to co-operate with the newly formed Malaysian government, adding Abdullah remains a viable partner for the US "on a wide range of issues of mutual interest", despite BN's heavy losses in the election and decreased popularity of the party.<ref name="AFP US-MY tie">{{cite news|title=US ready to work with Malaysia's Abdullah: spokesman |date=10 March 2008 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxWJ3ljyaCz5O7BSs3Hjw3avAefA |access-date=15 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312221300/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gxWJ3ljyaCz5O7BSs3Hjw3avAefA |archive-date=12 March 2008 }}</ref> Among them was the planned conclusion of stalled [[Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement|Free Trade Agreement]] negotiations between Malaysia and the US before the [[2008 United States presidential election]].<ref name="NST US-MY FTA">{{cite news |last=Nadzmi |first=Siti Nurbaiyah |date=13 March 2008 |title=US looking forward to seal FTA with Malaysia |url=http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/NewsBreak/20080313190604/Article/index_html |access-date=15 March 2008 |newspaper=[[New Straits Times]]}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref name="Star US-MY FTA">{{cite news|first=Meera |last=Vijayan |title=US seeks to conclude FTA |date=14 March 2008 |newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]] |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/14/nation/20641666 |access-date=15 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521103437/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F3%2F14%2Fnation%2F20641666 |archive-date=21 May 2011 }}</ref>
==
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== References ==
Line 409 ⟶ 513:
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409065753/http://bn2008.org.my/downloads/manifesto/eng_manifesto2008.pdf National Front Manifesto]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409065752/http://www.harapanmalaysia.com/manifesto08/Manifesto_Eng.pdf KeADILan Manifesto]
* [http://pru12.pas.org.my/manifesto/ManifestoPartiIslamSe-Malaysia(BI).pdf Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party Manifesto] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409065753/http://pru12.pas.org.my/manifesto/ManifestoPartiIslamSe-Malaysia(BI).pdf |date=9 April 2008 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409065753/http://salinankarbon.com/DAP/manifesto/web_edition/DAP%202008%20General%20Election%20Manifesto_En_s.jpg DAP manifesto]
{{Malaysian elections}}
[[Category:2008 elections in Asia|Malaysia]]
[[Category:2008 elections in Malaysia|
[[Category:General elections in Malaysia
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