Permatang Pauh by-election: Wan Azizah is PKR candidate

PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Ismail was selected as PKR's Permatang Pauh by-election candidate in Seberang Perai Arena, Bukit Mertajam, Penang on April 24, 2015. Gary Chen/The Star

BUKIT MERTAJAM: PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has been named the PKR candidate for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election on May 7.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali made the announcement at the Seberang Perai Arena in the constituency here on Friday.

The crowd cheered as Dr Wan Azizah, 63, who is Kajang assemblyman, stepped on to the stage to acknowledge the nomination.

On Thursday, Suhaimi Sabudin, 44, was named the Barisan Nasional candidate for the by-election.

The Permatang Pauh Umno division secretary's candidacy was announced here by Barisan deputy chairman and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The Permatang Pauh seat was declared vacant when its incumbent Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is the husband of Dr Wan Azizah, was disqualified following the Pardons Board's rejection of a royal pardon he sought for the five-year jail for his sodomy conviction.

Anwar, who is PKR adviser, won the seat by a majority of 11,721 votes in the May 2013 general election.

He polled 37,090 votes to Barisan Nasional's Mazlan Ismail who polled 25,369 votes.

The Election Commission has set May 7 for polling. Nomination is this Saturday.