Judge voids poll win

Judge voids poll win

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): A judge voided the election of a government candidate in a Malaysian state parliament on Friday, ruling that he won with the support of "phantom voters".

The landmark ruling validates years of complaints by opposition leaders, who say that thousands of illegal immigrants living in the state of Sabah vote in state elections.

The ruling paves way for a by-election to replace Yong Teck Lee, a former chief minister of Sabah state, who had won the division of Likas for the Sabah Progressive Party at 1999 general election by a large margin of 4,962 votes. The party is a member of the National Front coalition led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

The National Front was elected to power at the poll, and a by- election for Likas does not affect its ability to rule even if it loses.