Four cornered fight in Permatang Pauh by-election

BUKIT MERTAJAM: The Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election will be a four cornered fight between Barisan Nasional, PKR, Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and one independent candidate. 

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will take on Barisan's Suhaimi Sabudin, PRM's Azman Shah Othman and independent candidate Salleh Ishak. 

They filed in their nomination papers at the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) in Berapit here on Saturday.

A fifth person Dr Abdullah Zawawi Samsudin decided pull out, citing two other candidates who put their names in the fray.

Returning officer Jusni Ismail made the announcement in front of a large group of supporters from both Barisan and PKR. 

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 and May 3 for early voting.