Anwar's wife wins special election

Wan Azizah Ismail, wife of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, won a special state election, having replaced her husband in the contest after he was sentenced to jail for sodomy.

Wan Azizah defeated Chew Mei Fun from the national ruling coalition by 16,741 votes to 11,362, according to state-run news service Bernama. Voter turnout was about 72 per cent, it said.

Ahead of voting yesterday, Wan Azizah had said: "I am not concerned about the vote majority. A win is a win."

Anwar had planned to stand as the People's Justice Party candidate for the vacant state seat in opposition-controlled Selangor, until the Court of Appeal on March 7 overturned his 2012 acquittal on a sodomy charge.

Chew, from the Malaysian Chinese Association, was formerly the deputy minister for women, family and community development in Prime Minister Najib Razak's cabinet.

Wan Azizah held a parliamentary seat from 1999 to 2008 when her husband spent six years in jail following a falling-out with former premier Mahathir Mohamad. She later relinquished the seat to Anwar, who won a subsequent special election in 2008.