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1978 Malaysian general election

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1978 Malaysian general election

← 1974 8–22 July 1978 1982 →

All 154 seats in the Dewan Rakyat
78 seats needed for a majority
Registered5,059,689
Turnout75.30%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Hussein Onn Lim Kit Siang Asri Muda
Party BN DAP PAS
Last election 60.81%, 135 seats 18.32%, 9 seats 13 seats
Seats won 130 16 5
Seat change Decrease 5 Increase 7 Decrease 8
Popular vote 1,987,907 664,433 537,720
Percentage 57.23% 19.13% 15.58%
Swing Decrease3.58pp Increase0.81pp

Prime Minister before election

Hussein Onn
BN

Prime Minister-designate

Hussein Onn
BN

General elections were held in Malaysia between Saturday, 8 July and Saturday, 22 July 1978.[1] Voting took place in all 154 parliamentary constituencies of Malaysia, each electing one Member of Parliament to the Dewan Rakyat, the dominant house of Parliament. State elections also took place in 276 state constituencies (except Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak) on the same day.

It was Hussein Onn's first and only election since he became the country's third Prime Minister in 1976. His Barisan Nasional Party emerged victorious with 131 of the 154 seats in Parliament. Voter turnout was 75.3%.

Results

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As expected, Barisan Nasional comfortably maintained its majority in the Malaysian Parliament and thus, gave the Prime Minister the power to form a government with a free hand. Despite the victory, BN actually lost four seats out of 154 seats to the opposition.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) withdrew from BN in the midst of the 1977 Kelantan Emergency over disagreements with UMNO over the running of the state government of Kelantan, which PAS had controlled since the first post-independence general election in 1959. With the support of UMNO, detractors within PAS split with the party and formed the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Front (BERJASA). In the election, PAS lost the control of the state for the first time to the UMNO-BERJASA alliance within BN and keeping administration by BN for 12 years until 1990. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has been credited for UMNO's victory in Kelantan.

The opposition garnered 42.8% of total votes. In spite of that, the opposition as one won only 23 seats. Democratic Action Party won the largest slice of the pie among the opposition parties and hence, its leader Lim Kit Siang retained his position as the leader of the opposition that he had obtained four years earlier.

Candidates were returned unopposed in nine constituencies. The registered electors from these constituencies therefore did not cast ballots.

Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation1,987,90757.2369+7
Malaysian Chinese Association17–2
Sabah People's United Front9New
Sarawak National Party90
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu80
Sarawak United Peoples' Party6–1
United Sabah National Organisation5–8
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia4–1
Malaysian Indian Congress3–1
People's Progressive Party0–1
Total130–5
Democratic Action Party664,43319.1316+7
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party537,72015.485–8
Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak35,0091.010New
Malaysian Social Justice Party23,7920.680–1
Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia22,0310.6300
Social Democratic Party13,7880.400New
Sarawak People's Organisation10,1500.291New
Social United Association Party5,5940.160New
Sabah Democratic People's Party4,4910.130New
Parti Umat Sarawak3,8980.110New
Malaysian Workers' Party1,7310.050New
Sabah Chinese Association1,3050.040–3
Sarawak People's National Party8610.020New
Homeland Consciousness Union3500.0100
Independents160,3704.622+1
Total3,473,430100.001540
Valid votes3,473,43096.57
Invalid/blank votes123,3023.43
Total votes3,596,732100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,776,36175.30
Source: Nohlen et al. CLEA, Thambipillai

By state

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Johore

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation330,23377.31110
Malaysian Chinese Association4-1
Total15-1
Democratic Action Party64,38515.071+1
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party32,5127.6100
Total427,130100.00160
Valid votes427,13095.90
Invalid/blank votes18,2834.10
Total votes445,413100.00
Registered voters/turnout572,44777.81

Kedah

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation197,86557.109+1
Malaysian Chinese Association20
Total11+1
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party137,40039.652-1
Democratic Action Party2,8280.8200
Independents8,4102.4300
Total346,503100.00130
Valid votes346,50397.17
Invalid/blank votes10,0992.83
Total votes356,602100.00
Registered voters/turnout461,29077.31

Kelantan

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Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation143,16156.4110+5
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party110,62043.592-5
Total253,781100.00120
Valid votes253,78198.99
Invalid/blank votes2,6001.01
Total votes256,381100.00
Registered voters/turnout340,14175.37

Kuala Lumpur

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Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Democratic Action Party101,30654.983+1
Barisan NasionalParti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia27,90815.151+1
Malaysian Indian Congress18,2399.900–1
United Malays National Organisation10
Total46,14725.0520
Malaysian Social Justice Party17,9889.760–1
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party12,0066.5200
Malaysian Workers' Party1,7310.940New
Independents5,0722.7500
Total184,250100.0050
Valid votes184,25098.97
Invalid/blank votes1,9101.03
Total votes186,160100.00
Registered voters/turnout261,78371.11

Malacca

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Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation59,18855.6820
Malaysian Chinese Association10
Total30
Democratic Action Party34,57632.5310
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party12,53611.7900
Total106,300100.0040
Valid votes106,30096.00
Invalid/blank votes4,4284.00
Total votes110,728100.00
Registered voters/turnout141,84178.06

Negri Sembilan

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation81,67157.6130
Malaysian Chinese Association10
Malaysian Indian Congress10
Total50
Democratic Action Party41,73629.4410
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party11,2177.9100
Independents7,1515.0400
Total141,775100.0060
Valid votes141,77595.36
Invalid/blank votes6,9064.64
Total votes148,681100.00
Registered voters/turnout190,37978.10

Pahang

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation123,59366.836-1
Malaysian Chinese Association2+1
Total80
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party34,15618.4700
Democratic Action Party16,3548.8400
Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia6,4413.4800
Independents4,3842.3700
Total184,928100.0080
Valid votes184,92895.21
Invalid/blank votes9,2974.79
Total votes194,225100.00
Registered voters/turnout258,02475.27

Penang

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation138,17347.122-1
Malaysian Chinese Association1-2
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia1-2
Total4-5
Democratic Action Party79,91827.264+4
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party31,66710.801+1
Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia10,0443.4300
Social Democratic Party13,7884.7000
Homeland Consciousness Union3500.1200
Independents19,2806.5800
Total293,220100.0090
Valid votes293,22096.60
Invalid/blank votes10,3213.40
Total votes303,541100.00
Registered voters/turnout383,13479.23

Perak

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation293,56353.5010-1
Malaysian Chinese Association3+1
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia20
Malaysian Indian Congress10
Barisan Nasional10
People's Progressive Party0-1
Total17-1
Democratic Action Party200,54736.5540
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party52,6559.600-1
Malaysian Social Justice Party3420.0600
Independents1,5640.2900
Total548,671100.00210
Valid votes548,67196.29
Invalid/blank votes21,1273.71
Total votes569,798100.00
Registered voters/turnout736,96377.32

Perlis

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation30,76260.7520
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party16,97333.5200
Independents2,9065.7400
Total50,641100.0020
Valid votes50,64195.78
Invalid/blank votes2,2324.22
Total votes52,873100.00
Registered voters/turnout68,57277.11

Sabah

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalSabah People's United Front94,22551.838New
United Sabah National Organisation5–8
Total14-8
Democratic Action Party11,7336.451+1
Social United Association Party5,5943.080New
Sabah Democratic People's Party4,4912.470New
Sabah Chinese Association1,3050.720–3
Malaysian Social Justice Party9210.5100
Independents63,51534.942+2
Total181,784100.00160
Valid votes181,78496.97
Invalid/blank votes5,6823.03
Total votes187,466100.00
Registered voters/turnout282,36966.39

Sarawak

[edit]
Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalParti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu52,22220.3880
Sarawak National Party45,21817.6490
Sarawak United Peoples' Party64,09925.016-1
Total161,53963.0323-1
Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak35,00913.660New
Sarawak People's Organisation10,1503.961New
Parti Umat Sarawak3,8981.520New
Sarawak People's National Party8610.340New
Independents44,83117.4900
Total256,288100.00240
Valid votes256,28896.49
Invalid/blank votes9,3243.51
Total votes265,612100.00
Registered voters/turnout385,34568.93

Selangor

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Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation212,06557.566+1
Malaysian Chinese Association3-1
Malaysian Indian Congress10
Total100
Democratic Action Party111,05030.1410
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party36,6159.9400
Malaysian Social Justice Party4,5411.2300
Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia9020.2400
Independents3,2570.8800
Total368,430100.00110
Valid votes368,43096.18
Invalid/blank votes14,6233.82
Total votes383,053100.00
Registered voters/turnout515,49774.31

Trengganu

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Party or allianceVotes%Seats+/–
Barisan NasionalUnited Malays National Organisation75,72258.377+3
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party49,36338.050-3
Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia4,6443.5800
Total129,729100.0070
Valid votes129,72995.32
Invalid/blank votes6,3674.68
Total votes136,096100.00
Registered voters/turnout178,57676.21

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p152 ISBN 0-19-924959-8