Padang Kota (N26)

Penangconstituency
Padang Kota (olive) onPenang
State constituency
Legislature	Penang State Legislative Assembly
MLA	Chow Kon Yeow PH
Constituency created	1974
First contested	1974
Last contested	2023
Demographics
Electors (2023)[1]	15,165
Area (km²)[2]	3

Padang Kota is a state constituency inPenang,Malaysia, that has been represented in thePenang State Legislative Assembly since 1974. It coversGeorge Town's historic city centre, including its old administrative core and thecentral business district (CBD) atBeach Street.

The state constituency was first contested in 1974 and is mandated to return a single Assemblyman to thePenang State Legislative Assembly under thefirst-past-the-post voting system. Since 2008^[update], the State Assemblyman for Padang Kota isChow Kon Yeow from theDemocratic Action Party (DAP), which is part of the state's ruling coalition,Pakatan Harapan (PH). Chow is also the currentChief Minister of Penang since 2018.

According to the federal gazette issued on 18 July 2023, the Padang Kota constituency is divided into 14 polling districts.^[3]

This state seat encompasses the historic epicentre ofGeorge Town, including much of the city'sUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.^[4] The colonial-era civic precinct, centred atLight Street, is home to a number of important landmarks, such as thePenang State Assembly Building (which houses thePenang State Legislative Assembly), theCity Hall and theEsplanade (Malay:Padang Kota), from which the constituency got its name. Right next to this administrative heart ofGeorge Town is thecity's CBD atBeach Street, where several international banks and financial services are based.

Other famous landmarks within this constituency include, but not limited to,Fort Cornwallis,Queen Victoria Memorial Clock Tower,St. George's Church,Church of the Assumption,Kapitan Keling Mosque,Kong Hock Keong Temple,Sri Mahamariamman Temple andEastern & Oriental Hotel. In addition, the city's vital transportation hubs atWeld Quay, such asSwettenham Pier, theferry terminal and the adjacentRapid Penangpublic bus terminal, are situated within this state seat.

As well as theUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, the state seat also covers more modern parts of the city centre, especially around the vicinity ofNortham Road. Jalan Pangkor and Jalan Perak form the constituency's western limits, while to the south, the Padang Kota constituency is bounded by (from west to east)Macalister Road, Jalan Zainal Abidin (formerly Yahudi Road),Burmah Road, Transfer Road, Campbell Street,Armenian Street, a mid-section ofBeach Street and China Street Ghaut.

Due to its importance as the heart ofGeorge Town, the Padang Kota state constituency has become a key battleground for many of the top political leaders throughoutPenang's modern history. For instance, thePadang atEsplanade serves as the main venue inGeorge Town where large-scale political rallies are held; political heavyweights, such asLee Kuan Yew,Lim Chong Eu andLim Kit Siang have made crowd-pulling speeches in the past at the former parade ground.^[7][8][9] Notably,Lim Chong Eu, a founder ofGerakan, held this seat during his tenure as theChief Minister of Penang between 1974 and 1990, only to lose the seat toLim Kit Siang of theDAP in the1990 State Election.

At the time of writing, the Padang Kota constituency has been held since 2008 byChow Kon Yeow, who also holds the position of theDAPPenang State Chairman. In 2018, Chow became Penang's fifthChief Minister, succeeding his party colleague,Lim Guan Eng.

The electoral results for the Padang Kota state constituency are as follows.

Penang state election, 2023:Padang Kota

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	PH	Chow Kon Yeow	8,261	87.83	2.08
	PN	H'ng Khoon Leng	1,145	12.17	12.17
Total valid votes			9,406	100.00
Total rejected ballots			79
Unreturned ballots			16
Turnout			9,501	62.65	13.06
Registered electors			15,165
Majority			7,116	75.66	3.50
	PHhold		Swing

Penang state election, 2018:Padang Kota

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	PH	Chow Kon Yeow	9,278	85.75	85.75
	BN	H'ng Khoon Leng	1,470	13.59	6.25
	Malaysian United Party	Goh Saik Wei	71	0.66	0.66
Total valid votes			10,819	100.00
Total rejected ballots			130
Unreturned ballots			12
Turnout			10,961	75.71	2.84
Registered electors			14,476
Majority			7,808	72.16	11.84
	PHhold		Swing
Source(s) "His Majesty's Government Gazette - Notice of Contested Election, State Legislative Assembly for the State of Penang [P.U. (B) 252/2018]"(PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 3 May 2018. Retrieved2018-08-01.[permanent dead link] "Federal Government Gazette - Results of Contested Election and Statements of the Poll after the Official Addition of Votes, State Constituencies for the State of Penang [P.U. (B) 326/2018]"(PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 28 May 2018. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on August 29, 2019. Retrieved2018-08-01.

Penang state election, 2013:Padang Kota

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	DAP	Chow Kon Yeow	9,563	80.16	22.77
	BN	Oh Tong Keong	2,367	19.84	22.77
Total valid votes			11,930	100.00
Total rejected ballots			128
Unreturned ballots			19
Turnout			12,077	78.55	9.65
Registered electors			15,375
Majority			7,196	60.32	45.54
	PHhold		Swing
Source(s) "Federal Government Gazette - Notice of Contested Election, State Legislative Assembly for the State of Penang [P.U. (B) 189/2013]"(PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 26 April 2013. Retrieved2016-05-21.[permanent dead link]"Federal Government Gazette - Results of Contested Election and Statements of the Poll after the Official Addition of Votes, State Constituencies for the State of Penang [P.U. (B) 230/2013]"(PDF). Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia. 22 May 2013. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 22 March 2019. Retrieved2016-05-21.

Penang state election, 2008:Padang Kota

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	DAP	Chow Kon Yeow	6,449	57.39	17.26
	BN	Teng Chang Yeow	4,788	42.61	17.26
Total valid votes			11,237	100.00
Total rejected ballots			220
Unreturned ballots			50
Turnout			11,507	68.90	5.24
Registered electors			16,704
Majority			1,661	14.78	4.96
	DAPgain fromBN		Swing		.

• Constituencies of Penang

"Keputusan Pilihan Raya Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya".Election Commission of Malaysia. Archived fromthe original on 2016-04-24. Retrieved2016-05-21.

• State constituencies in Penang

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