2008 Penang state election

2008 Penang state election

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All 40 seats to the State Legislative Assembly 21 seats needed for a majority
Registered	709,323
Turnout	542,856
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lim Guan Eng Koh Tsu Koon Party DAP Gerakan Alliance People's Alliance National Front Leader since 20 February 2008 (2008-02-20) 21 October 1990 (1990-10-21) Leader's seat Air Putih Tanjong Bunga (not seeking for re-election) Last election 2 seats, 5.00% 38 seats, 95.00% Seats won 29 11 Seat change 27 27 Popular vote 319,757 222,339 Percentage 58.90% 40.96%
Pakatan Rakyat seats:   DAP   PKR   PAS Opposition seats:   UMNO
Chief Minister before election Koh Tsu Koon National Front (Gerakan) Elected Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng People's Alliance (DAP)

The 12th Penang election was held on 8 March 2008. Polling took place in 40 constituencies throughout the State of Penang, with each electing a State Assemblyman to the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The election was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission.

The legislative body had been dissolved on 13 February by the Governor of Penang, Abdul Rahman Abbas, on the advice of the incumbent Chief Minister, Koh Tsu Koon, who also led the state's ruling coalition at the time, Barisan Nasional (BN).^[1] Opposing the BN was the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance, which consisted of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Electoral candidates were nominated on 24 February.^[2]

The election proved to be a watershed in Penang's history, as the BN was handed an unprecedented and shocking defeat by the PR, making the election the second time Penang's ruling party was voted out of power; the first was in 1969.^[3] The PR won 29 out of the 40 seats, gaining more than a two-thirds majority in the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The leader of the PR in Penang, Lim Guan Eng, was subsequently sworn into power as Penang's fourth Chief Minister on 11 March.