Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has won a crucial by-election that will see his return to parliament after a decade long absence, according to news reports.
Reuters and Channel News Asia have reported that Ibrahim won the Pemantang Pauh seat, in his home state of Penang, by a large margin of over 16,000 votes. Malaysia Kini has also reported that the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition have conceded the by-election.
The contested seat was held by Ibrahim's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail during his political exile after he was sacked in 1998 and jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption. She stood aside, triggering a by-election, in the latest step of the opposition leader's plan to topple the government with the help of defectors from the ruling party.
The 10-day campaign leading up to the by-election was weighed down by allegations of misdeeds coming from both sides.
The opposition accused the government of running an intensely negative campaign that focused on the new sodomy charges leveled against Ibrahim and playing on the rift between the different ethic groups in the country.
This by-election poll was seen as the ultimate gage for how far the charges of sexual misconduct had taken a toll on Ibrahim's public image.
Days before voting opened the Merdeka Centre research firm said Anwar would likely claim victory in the Permatang Pauh electorate, but that new sodomy allegations against him were a factor in the campaign.
Exit polls indicated that Ibrahim had a steady lead before voting closed. But with traffic congested around the polling stations and bad weather, doubts were cast over the accuracy of exit poll figures.
After the March elections that handed the opposition control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats, he has to persuade 30 lawmakers to switch sides from the ruling coalition in order to gain the majority needed to form a new government.
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