page_title: 2018 Penang state election
section_title: Campaign
hierarchical_section_title: 2018 Penang state election / Campaign
caption_attribution_description: English: A Pakatan Harapan banner depicting nasi lemak, an ubiquitous local dish, in the city of George Town in Penang.
context_page_description: The 14th Penang election was held on 9 May 2018 to elect the State Assemblymen of the 14th Penang State Legislative Assembly, the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang. The legislature had been dissolved on 9 April by the state's Governor, Abdul Rahman Abbas, on the advice of the then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who also led the state's ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.
  The election was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission and utilised the first-past-the-post system. Electoral candidates were nominated on 28 April. On 9 May, between 8.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. Malaysian time, polling was held in all 40 state constituencies throughout Penang; each constituency elects a single State Assemblyman to the state legislature.
  The PH coalition retained power with a stronger mandate, as it swept eight additional constituencies to hold 37 seats in the Penang State Legislative Assembly; the PH thus commands a supermajority in the legislature.
context_section_description: Analysts and news agencies, including Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times and The Edge, predicted another victory for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Penang, due to the PH-led state government's achievements in social welfare and infrastructural developments, as well as Penang's economic growth under PH's tenure. Even so, the election was still hotly contested over several issues, including the vulnerability of the city-state to natural disasters such as floods and landslides, the proposed Penang Undersea Tunnel, transportation and public housing.
  In particular, the PH administration placed considerable emphasis on Penang's achievements under its tenure, such as the state's solid economic performance, rapid development, overall cleanliness, public housing and the administration's social welfare policies. These were seen in contrast to the perceived discrimination of Penang by the Barisan Nasional-led federal government, especially in matters ranging from transportation to the lack of financial aid for Penang's flood victims.
caption: A Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner at Burmah Road in George Town uses nasi lemak as an analogy for Penang's position as the top destination in Malaysia for foreign direct investment, as well as the state's low public debt. In an unprecedented move, PH banners depicting famous local dishes have been placed throughout the city.[56][57]
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