2008 Malaysian general election
It marked the first time since the 1969 election that the coalition did not win a two-thirds supermajority in the Malaysian Parliament required to pass amendments to the Malaysian Constitution. In addition, five of the twelve contested state legislatures were won by the opposition, compared with only one in the last election but Perak was retaken by Barisan Nasional after 11- month administration by Pakatan Rakyat coalition. This marked the end of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure as Prime Minister before his handover to Najib Razak several months later.


2008 Malaysian general election
As of the 2018 general election, this is the last time the National Front won the overall popular vote.


2008 Malaysian general election, Background, Key dates
The Malaysian Parliament was dissolved on 13 February 2008 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) on the advice of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, from which a general election will be required to be held within the 60 days, between 13 February 2008 and 13 April 2008. The announcement of the dissolution was done a day after the Prime Minister publicly denied that Parliament would be dissolved on 13 February.


2008 Malaysian general election, Background, Key dates
Speculation on the exact polling date was rife, as political analysts expected polling to be held after the Chinese New Year on 7 February and during the week-long school holidays from 7 to 16 March, as schools will be available for use as polling stations. Political analysts saw a March election as an attempt by the Prime Minister to garner a fresh mandate before a slowdown in the global and Malaysian economies, and in an effort to bar Anwar Ibrahim from contesting, as he is permitted to re-enter politics on 14 April 2008.


2008 Malaysian general election, Background, Key dates
On 14 February, the Election Commission announced nominations would be held on 24 February, with general election set for 8 March. This will allow for 13 days of campaigning to take place. Anwar Ibrahim subsequently criticised the Prime Minister on the choice of date, calling the move a "dirty trick" and a sign of "Prime Minister Abdullah [...] getting personal." There were expectations that a Member of Parliament from Anwar's party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, would resign after that date to pave the way for a by-election which Anwar could contest to attempt a comeback in Parliament. At the time these claims were unsubstantiated, however, the expectations were fulfilled when Anwar's wife vacated her seat.


2008 Malaysian general election, Issues and public sentiments
The Merdeka Centre ran a survey in 2008 to gauge public sentiment and the result was published soon after. There was a series of issues raised by all sides in the run up to the election.


2008 Malaysian general election, Issues and public sentiments
Among the issues are inflation, shortage of goods, fuel subsidies, rising crime, majority government, mismanagement, corruption, the demand for free and fair elections by a group of NGOs and political parties under the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), racial equality especially as highlighted by HINDRAF, Internal Security Act detainees, the case surrounding the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Video Clip and the eligibility of former Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.


2008 Malaysian general election, Issues and public sentiments
Anger among ethnic Indians regarding issues such as restrictions on jobs, education, freedom of religion, right and a widespread feeling of loss of dignity have played a part during the 2008 parliamentary elections in Malaysia. One of the other main issues brought up has been whether the election would be conducted fairly. The opposition has pointed out these issues are gerrymandering of electoral districts, uneven media access, outdated electoral systems, election fraud and vote buying.


2008 Malaysian general election, Issues and public sentiments
Besides, it was also alleged that the anti-Khairy Jamaluddin sentiment became another main factor of the National Front's heavy losses, as stated by Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. Khairy Jamaluddin is the son-in-law of the current Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and was accused of influencing the Prime Minister when making critical decisions.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Government
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party and their National Front partners ran a younger crop of candidates with fewer ties to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the architect of the country's affirmative-action policies in the election. Abdullah said he needed "one or two more terms" to successfully complete various economic projects he has started.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Government
The government wished to retake the mandate of the opposition state of Kelantan from PAS, promising the Kelantanese people major development projects and jobs. Awang Adek Hussin, a deputy minister heading UMNO's campaign in Kelantan said that if voted in they would repair or build 500 mosques, including a Grand Mosque, to woo Muslim voters.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Government
In Sabah, chief minister and Sabah BN chairman Musa Aman announced that the same formula used in the 2004 election would be used in this election with regards to the allocation of seats among BN's component parties of Sabah. Sabah BN has used the same allocation formula for both the parliamentary election as well as for the state election. In this election, UMNO will contest in 13 parliamentary seats, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will contest in four, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) in four, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) in two, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) in one, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in one.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Government
BN coalition rolled out a major publicity campaign with a slogan promising "security, peace, prosperity" in advertisements that featured prominently in newspapers and on television.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Opposition
The main Malaysian opposition parties, which are the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), planned to deny the ruling coalition a two-thirds majority in Parliament in a bid to loosen the government's five-decade grip on power as reflected by their manifestos. The three parties highlighted Malaysia's rising crime rate, consumer-price inflation and government corruption throughout the election campaign.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Opposition
Civil Society groups unofficially merged five opposition parties under a banner called the Barisan Rakyat (People's Front) in which they agreed on certain policy matters, particularly two civil society documents: The People's Declaration, and The People's Voice; and agreed not to contest against each other in any seats. The five parties include DAP, PKR and PAS, as well as Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and the United Pasok Nunukragang National Organisation (PASOK).


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Opposition
Part of the opposition campaign took place in cyberspace and new media, utilising new technologies such as blogs, SMS and YouTube. Currently, major newspapers and television stations, which are partly owned by parties in the government coalition, only mention the opposition in passing. On 2 March, PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang challenged Abdullah Badawi to hold a televised debate similar to those held by US presidential candidates. However, government leaders stated there was no place for such debates in Malaysia, claiming the focus should be on debating with locals concerning local issues affecting them.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Opposition
The Opposition had also increased focus on Abdullah Badawi's performance in the last few years and being a poor leader who sleeps on the job. They mentioned that as a result of his weak leadership, matters such as crime, corruption and racial and religious tensions have increased. On 4 March, campaigning in Malaysia's general election took on a personal tone as rivals slung accusations of nepotism, hypocrisy, boorish language and sexist tactics. It was also suggested Abdullah is grooming his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, as Malaysia's future leader.


2008 Malaysian general election, Campaigning and strategies, Opposition
In terms of raising funds, the Opposition appealed to the public through websites and blogs for supporters to contribute funds through credit cards and bank transfers to help them print campaign posters and hold public forums. The Opposition had repeatedly pointed out that they are unable to match the ruling coalition's massive spending power.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
Previous elections in the country had fuelled complaints that an allegedly subservient Election Commission, gerrymandering, vote fraud, compliant media, misuse of government resources and massive vote buying gave the National Front or Barisan Nasional an unfair advantage. It had been highlighted to the Election Commission of Malaysia that its electoral roll has been suspect, because of the discovery that it contains nearly 9,000 people aged more than 100. This raised suspicions that the books are contaminated with dead voters which leaves the election vulnerable to fraud.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
Further discoveries of people who have been born in the same year possessing different identity cards (IC) and living in many different localities, were uncovered by Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel). These people are registered to vote in various places throughout the country. These issues led to questions regarding the fairness of the elections.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
It was also highlighted by the Opposition that certain postal voters were issued with two ballot sheets. This was discovered during checks with the Election Commission when they were preparing postal voting kits. Activists from BERSIH say each ballot was also attached to a letter identifying the voter along with the voting slip serial number, so it would be easy to trace who voted for the opposition. Electoral reform activists said that a number of seats that the opposition could win could be decided by postal votes and that those casting postal votes do not have the freedom to choose the candidate they want.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
Human Rights Watch, which had been monitoring the election process, stated that government restraints on expression, assembly and access to state media would deny Malaysians a fair vote. Calling the electoral process "grossly unfair", Human Rights Watch called on the government to address concerns with fraud in the electoral rolls, and to provide opposition parties access to state media. De facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz accused Human Rights Watch of bias, saying they were attempting to discredit the electoral process because "they know the National Front will win".


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
On 17 March, a week after the release of election results and one-third win by opposition parties, BERSIH claimed the Opposition would have obtained a parliamentary majority if not for fraud. Sivarasa Rasiah, BERSIH spokesperson and newly elected PKR MP for Subang, stated:


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
[The opposition] would have had an outright win if this were a free and fair election... To win another 30 seats (to form a majority in parliament) all [they] needed was just another 56,000 votes...Just because the opposition won big does not mean the election was free and fair. [ They] are calling for a royal commission to investigate the electoral process.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud
Citing 72,058 unreturned ballot papers – of which 41,564 were for parliamentary seats and 30,494 for state assembly seats – BERSIH alleged that many of these ballots had in reality been cast for the opposition or spoilt but were discarded, further pointing to the fact that most of them were postal ballots. BERSIH spokespeople did not rule out further street demonstrations.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
On 2 June 2007, the Election Commission made public the proposed use of indelible ink to mark participating voters at polling stations, and its use officially confirmed by the commission's chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman on 13 August 2007. Its introduction was a measure precluding electoral fraud by preventing duplicate votes, and would mark the first time indelible ink was to be used in a Malaysian general election.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
Early reaction to the proposal was mixed. Both DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang welcomed the move, with Abdul Hadi's party voicing interest in the type of ink used. PKR vice-president Tian Chua initially remained sceptical unless the EC "implemented the system". Members of BN were more critical, with UMNO secretary-general Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan and Gerakan vice-president Teng Hock Nan proposing the use of other systems, such as a fingerprint-based biometrics system, as alternatives.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
An additional comment by BN against the use of the indelible ink was the lack of assurance the ink used will contain safe or halal ingredients, taking into account Muslim voters. On 9 August, the National Fatwa Council declared the ink safe for use, after receiving a lab report from the Chemistry Department of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
On 4 March 2008, four days before polling, the commission announced it was cancelling the plan, citing concerns about the constitutionality of the measure – without a constitutional amendment permitting the practice, it could be illegal for a polling clerk to stop a voter from voting even if his or her finger was already marked with indelible ink.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
The Commission chair also claimed intelligence concerning possible conspiracies to undermine the electoral process by applying ink to the fingers of those who had not yet voted, and said it would be best to refrain from adopting the measure for the sake of public order and security. According to the Election Commission, the decision to cancel the use of indelible ink was based on reports that certain parties tried to "sabotage" the election process in Kedah, Kelantan and Perlis. The police has arrested several persons that tried to smuggle the ink through neighbouring Thailand.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
Opposition parties widely condemned the move. PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali alleged that the commission was "colluding with BN to allow cheating in the coming general elections," and claimed that this was proof the government felt the Opposition would perform well on polling day. Dzulkifli Ahmad, a PAS and BERSIH leader, said that both organisations opposed the move, and that "We want to make it clear that we are entering this election under protest". Dzulkifli added that BERSIH would file a complaint after polling day.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
Lim Guan Eng declared that the decision would only benefit the ruling coalition, and demanded an explanation for the claim of adverse effects on public security: "It is ridiculous that the use of indelible ink can put the whole country into chaos and ruination." Lim condemned the waste incurred over RM2 million having been spent purchasing 47,000 bottles of indelible ink from India, as of 23 February, and said that the DAP would be investigating legal avenues to reverse the decision.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
Response from the ruling coalition was mixed. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, an UMNO leader, found the reversal "appropriate", citing concerns that people would be misled into applying similar-looking ink to their fingers, denying them the right to vote. In a statement, MCA described the measure as "disappointing", saying the late announcement meant opposition parties would unnecessarily politicise the situation.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
In response, several leaders of the Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel), including Mafrel chair Abdul Malek Hussin and deputy chair Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, have refused to accept EC accrediting as official observers, saying they refused to legitimise the decision. Officially, they said, any EC-accredited Mafrel member could observe the polling process, and they would themselves carry out all other duties as observers, except those requiring EC accreditation such as observing the polling process from within polling stations.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
Abdul Malek added that Mafrel strongly protested the decision as contrary to its own recommendations, and compared the measure to withdrawing all currency from circulation because of the presence of counterfeit notes. He further questioned the legal reasoning behind the decision, arguing that as Parliament had speedily passed a constitutional amendment to extend the tenure of the EC chairperson, any necessary constitutional amendments could have been introduced and passed well in advance.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
After the election, Anwar Ibrahim claimed that the failure to use indelible ink had cost the PKR-DAP-PAS coalition 15 seats in Parliament, adding that "It is not unrealistic to imagine that we could actually have won a majority right then." Two weeks after the polls, several NGOs including the Malaysian Voters Union asked the Attorney-General to officially charge four men who they alleged had been arrested for involvement in the supposed conspiracy. As of 24 March 2008, the men had not been remanded by a court, nor charged with a crime; their arrest was not publicised.


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
In May, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar told Parliament in his written response to a question from Fong Po Kuan that "there was no evidence at all to show the ink was smuggled in from Thailand... From the witness statements, no individual, syndicate or any particular party was identified to be involved in this (ink smuggling). The complainant and witness' statement were based on hearsay and no individual was identified positively."


2008 Malaysian general election, Allegations of fraud, Use of indelible ink for voters
Unused, the ink remained in storage until 25 November 2009, when it was burnt in accordance to government procedures. Prior to disposal, the ink was to be sold, but had passed its expiry date.


2008 Malaysian general election, Incidents, Rusila (Terengganu) riot
Polling day was uneventful except a serious incident in Rusila, in Marang constituency in the east coast state of Terengganu, where 300 supporters of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) stopped several buses and cars they suspected carrying fraudulent voters ferried in by the coalition and confiscating Malaysian identity cards of the voters. When the police arrived to bring order, the PAS supporters were reported to have beaten up the police and destroyed police vehicles, including several Federal Reserve Unit (Malaysian riot police) vehicles. A helicopter from the Royal Malaysian Army had to be called in. To break up the rioters, police fired tear gas, and the son of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was among those arrested.


2008 Malaysian general election, Incidents, Pullout of SAPP from BN
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has decided to pull out of the 14-member Barisan Nasional Government, taking away two MPs and at least two of its four assemblymen who will remain independent.


2008 Malaysian general election, Incidents, Pullout of SAPP from BN
The decision to pull out was made at the SAPP supreme council meeting where its president Datuk Yong Teck Lee obtained the support of nearly all of its 35 members and declared that SAPP was not joining Pakatan Rakyat.


2008 Malaysian general election, Incidents, Pullout of SAPP from BN
Yong said his party would remain independent in the opposition bench until a time came when SAPP was ready to be back in government.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary
As polls opened in Malaysia on 8 March from 8:00 to 17:00, voters cast ballots for 222 parliamentary seats and 12 state legislatures, with voter turnout among Malaysia's 10.9 million eligible voters estimated to be 70 percent. Barisan Nasional won 91 percent of parliamentary seats in 2004 election, but its majority is expected to be clipped this time as it suffers a backlash from ethnic Chinese and Indians.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary
Early vote counting showed the Barisan Nasional was already faring badly in early tallies across the country with the exception of Sabah, Sarawak and Johor, as claimed by Kelantan United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) state chief Annuar Musa. The opposition began claiming using their own estimates that they have denied the government its two-thirds majority in parliament. Political scientists called these elections "stunning elections".


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary
Barisan Nasional was able to return to power and form the next government, with a simple majority but without the crucial two-thirds majority in parliament. It is BN's worst performance in Malaysia's general election (until 2018) since independence in 1957, winning only 63.5% (140 out of 222) of parliamentary seats that were contested; the only other time the 14-party coalition failed to win a two-thirds majority was in 1969 when it secured 66% of the seats.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary
Component parties in BN, including the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), and Gerakan, saw its number of state and federal seats severely reduced by half or more. UMNO also saw its number reduce significantly but not by as much as half. Also noted were MIC president S. Samy Vellu, Gerakan acting president Koh Tsu Koon and PPP president M. Kayveas, who were trounced in their respective election contests.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary
The results of several states have been rather surprising to everybody involved. Many of the states BN have lost are those on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia where it has traditionally focused most of its attention to. These states experienced more development and investment than other states, and account for much of the country's population. The remaining states that have given BN its simple majority are states that are economically weaker than what the opposition have gained.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins
On the nomination day, 24 February 2008, BN secured seven parliamentary seats and two state assembly seats uncontested. PAS also won a state seat after the BN nominee was found to have been declared bankrupt, although this was later disproved.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins
On 26 February 2008, independent contender Junak Jawek dropped out of the polls for the new Parliamentary seat of Igan. Wahab Dolah of BN was declared the winner. This brings the total number of uncontested wins by National Front to ten seats as of 27 February 2008: eight parliamentary and two state seats.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins
Some PKR candidates have alleged fraud, claiming they received offers from BN not to contest. Rahamat Idil Latip, the PKR candidate for the Parliamentary seat of Santubong, claimed he was told he would receive RM300,000 if he withdrew his nomination. After jokingly asking for RM3 million, he was told that it would be considered.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins, Pensiangan
One of the parliamentary seats won unopposed by BN was in P.182 Pensiangan (Sabah), which was won by Joseph Kurup of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS). The two candidates who were supposed to contest in this seat were Danny Anthony Andipai (PKR) and Saineh Usau (independent). Both were disqualified after submitting their nomination forms after 10:00 am.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins, Pensiangan
It was alleged by both rejected candidates that they were blocked from going to the nomination centre, resulting in both candidates submitting their candidacies late, at 10:25 am and 10:30 am, respectively. During the one-hour objection period from 11:00 am, Kurup raised objections to the late submissions and they were accepted by the returning officer; he then disqualified the two candidates from contesting. Police reports were later lodged on the matter in Keningau. Joseph Kurup, on the other hand, claimed he was punched after being declared winner of the seat; he also lodged a police report on this matter.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins, Pensiangan
On 8 September 2008, Kota Kinabalu High Court judge Justice David Wong Dak Wah declared that the Pensiangan parliamentary seat which was won uncontested by Kurup invalid and Kurup's seat be left vacant, paving the way for a possible by-election for this constituency. Recent amendments to the election laws, however, allow Kurup to appeal the decision at the Federal Court. The petition was filed by Andipai, and had named Kurup, returning officer Bubudan OT Majalu, and the Election Commission as respondents.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins, Pensiangan
On 13 March 2009, The Federal Court in Kota Kinabalu overturned an Election Court decision on 8 Sep to strip Pensiangan MP Joseph Kurup of the seat and declare it vacant. Federal Court Judge Nik Hashim Nik Abdul Rahman who delivered the verdict held that Kurup was duly elected to the parliamentary constituency of P182 Pensiangan.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Uncontested wins, Pensiangan
Nik Hashim held that there had not been any failure on the part of the Returning Officer (RO) to comply with the election laws.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Penang
The opposition dealt a heavy blow to the Barisan Nasional government by taking the state of Penang. Although Penang was regarded as a hotly contested state, the outcome unexpectedly turned out to be a landslide win with the opposition, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) gaining the majority of the state seats. Many seats saw the opposition winning over two-thirds of the votes, rather than the usual 50-50 distribution. BN only won 2 of the 13 parliamentary seats and 11 of the 40 state seats, its worst performance in Malaysian history.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Penang
In terms of party landscape, Gerakan, which has led the state since 1969 was defeated, and essentially wiped out of the political landscape, winning only 3 state seats and 2 parliamentary seats (none of which were in this state), not being able to hold on to a single seat in state or federal level—over 30 years of rule gone in one night. Some interesting individual constituencies include Jeff Ooi, who rose to fame with his blog that was constantly critical of the ruling government and made his first foray into politics this election under the DAP, winning the Jelutong parliamentary seat.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Penang
Another significant blow was the defeat of Gerakan Acting President, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, who was looking to move up from state politics, decided not to run for his state seat and subsequently gave up his Chief Minister post of 18 years, to challenge the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat. Some speculated this was part of a larger ambition to be a cabinet member, only to lose to newcomer P. Ramasamy of the DAP by a large margin of 9,485 votes.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Kedah
The state of Kedah, which along with Penang, has traditionally produced a substantial bulk of past and present BN leaders (including Tunku Abdul Rahman, and Mahathir Mohamad), also overwhelmingly rose to the call of the opposition. BN only won 4 of the 15 parliamentary seats but did better by winning 14 out of 36 state seats, while the Opposition took the remaining 22 of the 36 state seats, with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) winning 16, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) four and the DAP and an independent, one each.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Kelantan
PAS retained control of the state of Kelantan, despite a vigorous campaign by the ruling Barisan Nasional, winning 38 of the 45 state assembly seats along with PKR (which has won one seat). It was a personal setback for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who had promised millions of dollars in development aid, intending to boost the chances of the Barisan Nasional coalition. The win marked the fifth consecutive time PAS retained power in Kelantan since 1990 and surpasses PAS's previous record of continuous electoral wins in Kelantan—four between 1959 and 1978.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Selangor
Being the most developed state of the country and receiving the most absolute benefits due to spillover effects from developing the capital, Kuala Lumpur, Barisan Nasional party leaders were blindsided when Selangor rose to the call of the opposition. Many thought it was a safe stronghold of BN loyalists as it has been all along a centralist state leaning towards BN. According to The Star's summary of the state: "Barisan will undoubtedly retain the state but look out for some interesting, even tough, fights in certain parliamentary and state seats where the Opposition is fielding some strong candidates".


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Selangor
Far from being the truth, BN ended up with only 5 of the 22 parliamentary seats and 20 of the 56 state seats, leaving the state government in opposition hands. The state Bernama news agency said that opposition parties had claimed 35 of the 56 seats in the Selangor state legislature but did not give a breakdown between PAS and the other parties.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Perak
In Perak, the Barisan Nasional suffered shock losses, including MIC president S. Samy Vellu's Sungai Siput seat and PPP president M. Kayveas's Taiping seat. UMNO suffered several major setbacks in the party's traditional strongholds, while most MCA, MIC, PPP and Gerakan candidates were defeated by DAP candidates.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Perak
Perak was nonetheless one of the most tightly contested state of the nation with BN-Opposition parliamentary seats split into 13-11 and state seats into 28–31, still giving the opposition the chance to decide the state's government.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, State-by-state development, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is a federal territory divided into 11 parliamentary constituencies. In this election, the opposition won ten seats (five are held by DAP, four by PKR, and one by PAS), while Barisan Nasional won only one. In the previous election, BN held 7 seats while DAP held 4 seats.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
With substantial wins in several states, opposition parties were required to form state governments led by Opposition members on a scale unseen in recent decades.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
In Penang, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) formed the next state government with Lim Guan Eng, who is also the party's Secretary General, as its designated next Chief Minister. Two days later, the new Chief Minister appointed two Deputy Chief Ministers, Penanti assemblyman Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin of PKR and Prai assemblyman P. Ramasamy of DAP. P. Ramasamy became the first ethnic Indian to be appointed as deputy chief minister in a Malaysian state.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
The coalition consisting of mainly Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) formed the next state government in Kedah, after winning 22 out of 36 seats. Out of the 22 seats, 16 were won by PAS, 4 by PKR, and 1 each by DAP and an independent candidate. Kedah's state PAS commissioner, Azizan Abdul Razak, has been sworn in as the ninth Kedah Menteri Besar. The sole independent candidate who won, V. Arumugam, was chosen to be one of the 10 state executive councillors for the state.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
In Kelantan, Nik Aziz Nik Mat received his letter of appointment as Kelantan Menteri Besar on the night of 11 March for the fifth consecutive term from the Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Ismail Petra. Three state assemblymen, including Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar (Kijang), Dr Fazli Hassan (Temangan) and Che Abdullah Mat Nawi (Wakaf Baru), were also appointed as state executive councillors.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
The next designated Menteri Besar of Selangor was speculated to be PKR's Khalid Ibrahim. However, Khalid failed to get the consent from the Sultan, who stated he would like to meet representative from DAP and PAS first. After meeting representative of each party, Khalid Ibrahim was finally sworn in on 13 March 2008. The ten other state executive councillors (exco) were sworn in on 24 March. This marked the first time where four out of ten exco members were women and where five out of ten of them were non-Malays.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
BN-Opposition parliamentary seats in Perak were split into 13-11 and state seats into 28–31, still giving the opposition the chance to decide the state's government.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
It was confirmed Mohammad Nizar Jamaludin was to become the next Menteri Besar of Perak by the Regent of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah. Sitiawan state assemblyperson Ngeh Koo Ham was also appointed "Senior Exco Member". An Indian candidate will be appointed the second deputy Menteri Besar, the candidates being DAP's A Sivanesan (Sungkai), KS Keshvinder Singh (Malim Nawar), V. Sivakumar (Tronoh) and A Sivasubramaniam (Buntong), and PKR's S Kesavan but this never materialised.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
The appointment of the Perak Menteri Besar was not without drama as the coalition was not seen as cooperative. After the regent of Perak give consent on the informal coalition of DAP-PRK-PAS, each party submitted one name for the post of the new Menteri Besar, the regent of Perak having selected PAS nominee, Mohamad Nizar. DAP assemblymen were instructed to boycott the swearing-in ceremony which was supposed to be held on 13 March 2008 as instructed by DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, a statement which he retracted and apologised to the Perak Sultanate the following day. Seeing a tussle between DAP and PAS, the Regent of Perak decided to postpone the swearing in ceremony until he sees a letter of undertaking signed by all 31 assemblyman voicing support of the appointment of Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin as the Menteri Besar.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Establishment of Opposition-led state governments
By February 2009, the balance of power in Perak was tipped in favour of BN following the defection of four Opposition assemblymen, leading to a political crisis in the state and the eventual retaking of Perak by BN.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Political crisis in Terengganu
The state of Terengganu, which Barisan Nasional won with a two-thirds majority, was the last state to have no appointed Menteri Besar. In the formation of the new Terengganu state government, the government under Prime Minister Abdullah recommended Jerteh assemblyman Idris Jusoh , as Menteri Besar, which received full support of twenty-three of the 24 Barisan Nasional state assemblymen who elected. But the Sultan of Terengganu announced that Kijal assemblyman Ahmad Said had been appointed instead.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Political crisis in Terengganu
The Prime Minister claimed that the appointment of Ahmad Said was unconstitutional as it went against the wishes of the assemblymen and the Prime Minister's office who have supported Idris Jusoh candidacy for Menteri Besar. Ahmad Said was subsequently stripped of his UMNO membership "for disobeying the party's leadership".


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Political crisis in Terengganu
Eventually the Prime Minister and Sultan resolved the stand-off, with Ahmad being appointed as Menteri Besar.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Proposed return of elected Kuala Lumpur mayors
On 10 March, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai (DAP) mooted the possibility of having mayoral elections for Kuala Lumpur, but the Federal Constitution needs to be amended to allow such a change. There had not been an elected mayor in Malaysia since such elections were suspended in 1965.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Penang protests
On 14 March, several hundred protesters from the Malay community gathered in Chinese majority Penang as a response to a declaration by the Penang government under Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that they would abolish certain aspects of the New Economical Policy (NEP), which implementation remains a contentious issue in the country. The protesters were dispersed by riot police officers, but vowed to return for more protests.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Economy
Political uncertainty as a result of the formation of a significantly different Malaysian government, coupled with worries of a global economic slowdown due to negative economic development from the United States, led to uneasiness among investors in the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) and an immediate plunge in the KLCI.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Economy
On 10 March, the first trading day since the election, stocks in the KLCI fell 9.5%, or 123.11 points, from 1,296.33 points to 1,173.22 points by 5.00 pm (MST), its biggest one-day decline in a decade. Trading in the KLCI was automatically halted for an hour after stocks fell beyond the 20% by 29.8%, as a measure to curb panic selling; the KLCI resumed trading at 4.00 pm. Among trading companies severely affected were government-linked companies, including blue chip Sime Darby, (down 50%), UEM World (down 24%), Tenaga Nasional (down 15%) and the Malaysian Resources Corporation (down 34–39%).


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Economy
By the end of 12 March, the KLCI was able to recoup 60% of its losses, before suffering losses due to unfavourable developments on the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis in the US. The value of the ringgit had also dropped by a little over 1% against the US dollar, trading at RM3.2075 per US dollar on 10 March, down from the previous trading day's close of around RM3.166 to the dollar. Government bond prices ticked down at the open, with the yield on the 10-year benchmark rising up to 3.754 percent from 3.708 percent on Friday. An analyst remarked foreign investors had lost the political stability premium enjoyed prior to the election and might abandon investment prospects in Malaysia.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Economy
Doubts on the prospect of large scale projects initiated or managed by the Abdullah Badawi administration between 2004 and 2008 were also highlighted; the Opposition vowed to assess major government projects, including the DAP's plans to review the Penang Global City Centre, a $7.8 billion real estate development project in Penang which have not gain approval from the local state council even after launching ceremony was held officiated by Malaysia's Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi. The administration's previous proposals to form economical hubs in the northern, eastern and southern regions of the Malaysian Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak had previously attracted investors, local and foreign, and boasted the KLCI, but also raised questions on how the cost of billion-ringgit projects will be paid for.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Economy
Other analysts see the emergence of a stronger Opposition in the parliament as an opportunity for improved transparency and corporate governance. A managing director of a multinational asset management house commented "A powerful opposition is a positive development in the longer term, providing some checks and balances for trillion-ringgit government spending."


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, Economy
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services reports the general election has no immediate effect on the sovereign ratings on Malaysia and still maintains both the local and foreign currency rating for the country. It added budgetary decisions and fiscal policies are still in the ruling party's hands as it only requires a 51% majority instead of a two-thirds majority. Moody's Rating Service also shares in view and did not change its sovereign rating of A3.


2008 Malaysian general election, Result commentary, International reaction
On 9 March, United States State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper issued a statement that the US government is ready to co-operate with the newly formed Malaysian government, adding Abdullah remains a viable partner for the US "on a wide range of issues of mutual interest", despite BN's heavy losses in the election and decreased popularity of the party. Among them was the planned conclusion of stalled Free Trade Agreement negotiations between Malaysia and the US before the 2008 United States presidential election.


2008 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2008 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the penultimate round of the 2008 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 17–19 October 2008 at the Sepang International Circuit.


2008 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round seventeen has concluded.


2008 Malaysian state elections
State assembly elections were held in Malaysia on 8 March 2008 in all states except Sarawak. The elections took place alongside general elections.


2008 Maldives FA Cup
The 2008 Maldives FA Cup, was the 21st edition of the Maldives FA Cup.


2008 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament
The Second Division Football Tournament for the 2008 season in the Maldives won by the Red Line Club by defeating the defending champions Club All Youth Linkage.


2008 Maldivian Third Division Football Tournament
The 2008 Third Division tournament was scheduled to start in November 2008 with 26 clubs, excluding the Male' Football Club; the Football Association of Maldives decided to exclude them from the 2008 Third Division after a complaint was lodged to the Subordinate Court stating that the Football Association of Maldives election, held in July 2008, was unethical. Despite the complaint, the election was confirmed by the court.


2008 Maldivian Third Division Football Tournament
The Male' Football Club filed against Maldives FA for their decision to exile them from the 2008 Third Division tournament and won. The decision was appealed to the High Court by the Football Association, resulting in the Male' Football Club's suspension from the tournament until the 2010 FAM Congress. Since Male' Football Club is not a member of the Football Association of Maldives and was not invited to the election congress, they do not have any legal right to make a complaint against the association.


2008 Maldivian Third Division Football Tournament
The 2008 Third Division tournament began on 12 March 2009 with 20 teams. The teams were distributed into six groups.


2008 Maldivian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in the Maldives in two rounds on 8 and 28 October. No candidate gained more than 50% of the vote in the first round on 8 October; incumbent president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom fared best with about 40%. A runoff was thus held on 28 October between Gayoom and second-placed Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed won the election, unseating longtime incumbent Gayoom.


2008 Maldivian presidential election
The election was the first one held democratically in the history of the Maldives.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Background
The election was initially planned to be held on 4 October, but had to be delayed after the Majlis (national assembly) did not pass necessary reforms on time.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Background
The incumbent, President Gayoom, in power since 1978, ran for another five-year term. According to the new Constitution, which came into effect on 7 August 2008, Gayoom had served the maximum number of terms allowed (two). He argued that since the election was held under a new constitution, the previous terms did not count toward the limit. The Supreme Court agreed that the limited terms were to be served "under this Constitution" and that Gayoom was therefore eligible to run in the election.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Background
On 25 August 2008 the Maldives National Congress and the Adhaalath Party announced that they would support Republican Party candidate Qasim Ibrahim. On September 3, 2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Voting, First round
There were 208,252 eligible voters in the Maldives in the first round, which is roughly 60% of the population. There were a total 396 polling stations throughout the country. Additionally, registered Maldivians living in Colombo, Thiruvananthapuram, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were permitted to vote in Maldivian embassies and consulates.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Voting, First round
Voters went to the polls on 8 October starting at 09:00 local time (04:00 UTC), and expecting to end at 20:00 (15:00 UTC). The elections were peaceful, though voting irregularities prevented some voters from voting. Lines to polling stations were long on some islands, with waits sometimes exceeding six hours. A number of citizens, especially of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), were found to be not on the voter lists, even though they had registered, and some islands did not even receive voter lists. Later, the election committee said that anyone could vote, as long as he or she showed an ID card that was valid. A handful of riot police were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location, Nasandhura Palace.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Voting, First round
Ahmed Shaheed, the independent vice-presidential nominee said, "It's a disaster... I think there is deliberate tampering." MDP chairwoman Mariya Ahmed Didi, who incidentally registered but was not on a voter list, echoed similar concerns: "We hoped that once in our lifetime we could vote freely, but today we are being denied our right to vote."


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Voting, First round
Election observers from the Commonwealth of Nations issued an interim report stating that the first round of the election was "reasonably credible" but that there were some problems with the voter list and training of officials and educating voters.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Voting, Second round
In the second round, 209,294 people were eligible to vote. There was a total of 403 polling stations across the Maldives. Registered voters were also able to cast ballots at Maldivian embassies and diplomatic missions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Voting, Second round
Voting progressed fairly peacefully although there were some problems, such as people not being registered which prevented them from voting.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Results, First round
Six candidates competed in the first multi party election ever held in the Maldives. Early results indicated that there would be a runoff between Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed and his running mate, Dr. Waheed; on the morning of 9 October the results showed Gayoom ahead with 40.3% against Nasheed and Dr. Waheed's 24.9%. Those results stayed the same, and the four other candidates were eliminated, so a runoff between Gayoom and Nasheed was necessary. Although Gayoom failed to win in the first round, as he had hoped, he expressed satisfaction with his score. According to Gayoom, the results showed that he was the Maldives' "most popular public figure", and he said that he was poised for victory in the second round.


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Results, Second round
Following the first round results, it was announced that the second round would be held on 29 October, although election law provided for the second round to be held within 10 days of the first. Election Commissioner Mohamed Ibrahim said that this later date would give the candidates more time to campaign and would give the electoral commission more time "to correct issues with the voter registry".


2008 Maldivian presidential election, Results, Second round
Third-place finisher Hassan Saeed, a former attorney-general, threw his support to Nasheed and Dr. Waheed for the second round. Ibrahim Ismail also backed Nasheed and Dr. Waheed, and the other two candidates were expected to vouch for Nasheed as well.


2008 Malmö FF season
The 2008 season was Malmö FF's 97th in existence, their 73rd season in Allsvenskan and their 8th consecutive season in the league. They competed in Allsvenskan where they finished in 6th position and Svenska Cupen where they were knocked out in the fourth round. The season was Roland Nilssons first season as Malmö FF manager and the last season for the club at Malmö Stadion before moving to Swedbank Stadion for the 2009 season. To celebrate the club's 51-year stay at the stadium, an alternative home kit was used for the first and last match of the league season. The last league match at Malmö Stadion was played against GIF Sundsvall on 9 November and won 6–0 by Malmö FF.


2008 Malmö FF season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008 Malmö FF season, Players, Disciplinary record
Source: Match reports in Competitive matchesOnly competitive matches = Number of bookings;  = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card;  = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.


2008 Malmö FF season, Non competitive, Pre-season
Source: 1Malmö FF goals come first.Country's flag depict country of foreign team to that of Malmö FF.Ground: H = Home; A = Away; N = Neutral; HR = Home replacement; AR = Away replacement; GD = Goal difference


2008 Malmö FF season, Non competitive, Mid-season
Source: 1Malmö FF goals come first.Country's flag depict country of foreign team to that of Malmö FF.Ground: H = Home; A = Away; N = Neutral; HR = Home replacement; AR = Away replacement; GD = Goal difference


2008 Malmö mosque riots
On December 18 and 20, 2008, the closure of an Islamic cultural centre that housed a mosque in the Herrgården neighborhood of the Malmö district of Rosengård, in southern Sweden, caused hundreds of youths to riot against police.


2008 Malmö mosque riots
The riot, thought to have been the first of several 21st century immigrant youth riots in Sweden, was described by police at the time as "most violent riots we had ever encountered."


2008 Malmö mosque riots, Rioting
Rioting was sparked when the owner of a building in Rosengård decided not to renew the lease on the space used by the Islamiska Kulturföreningen (The Islamic Culture Association). The directors of the mosque and cultural center turned over the keys and vacated the premises, but angry youths occupied the building's basement in protest. The basement occupation went on for three weeks, at the end of which police coming to evict the occupiers were confronted by about 30 occupiers, including radicalized Muslims and activists affiliated with the radical leftist Antifascistisk Aktion. The occupiers attacked police with pipe bombs and rocks and the incident rapidly escalated, with protestors arriving from other cities and officials calling in riot police.


2008 Malmö mosque riots, Rioting
Rioting continued for two nights; additional police had to be called in form Gothenburg and Stockholm to quell the violence. Rioters set fire to cars, wagons, kiosks, building sheds, recycling stations, and bicycle sheds. .


2008 Malmö mosque riots, Rioting
After two nights of rioting, 200 adult Malmö residents organized by the Islamiska kulturföreningen moved into the streets to mediate, causing the youthful rioters to desist.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team
The 2008 Malone Pioneers football team represented Malone University in the season of 2008 NAIA football season. The Pioneers played their home games in Fawcett Stadium.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team
The schedule was originally to begin with three non-conference games. The September 6 game against Apprentice in Virginia was cancelled due to Hurricane Hanna. The remaining three non-conference games were against Union College in Kentucky and Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, followed by St. Xavier later in the season. The season ended with a trip to the 2008 Victory Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Malone lost to the Northwestern Eagles.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Coaching staff, Head coach
The head coach is Mike Gardner, who is in his third season at the helm of the Pioneers. Previously he was head coach at Tabor College. Gardner also works as the defensive coordinator for the team.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Apprentice
The Pioneers scheduled season opener on September 6 at the Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia was cancelled due to the arrival of Tropical Storm Hanna.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Union
Malone entered halftime with a 28-21 lead, but was unable to keep pace after halftime. The offensive unit posted just 68 total yards over the final 30 minutes of the game.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Union
The lack of offensive production led to a significant disparity in time of possession for the second half. Union college wore down the Pioneer defense in the hot and humid weather conditions, holding the ball for over 22 minutes during the final two quarters.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Union
Malone dropped to 0-1 on the season with the seven-point defeat while Union improved to 2-0.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Olivet Nazarene
The Malone College football team piled up 30 unanswered first-half points in a 43-3 victory on the road Olivet Nazaarene (IL) University. The Tigers were finally able to get on the scoreboard with a field goal on their opening drive of the third quarter, but that would turn out to be the only points Malone's defense would surrender as the unit limited Olivet Nazarene to 167 yards of total offense and 10 first downs.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Olivet Nazarene
Olivet Nazarene's three points in Saturday's contest marked the fewest total points allowed in a game by Malone since 1999 when the Pioneers shutout Urbana University on the road, 20-0. With the convincing victory, Malone improved its overall record to 1-1 on the year while Olivet Nazarene fell to 1-3.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Marian
The Malone University football team opened 2008 Mid-States Football Association Mideast League play at Fawcett Stadium with a 45-37 victory over visiting Marian (IN) College. Prior to the home opener, there was plenty of excitement in the air with Homecoming festivities in full swing, new uniforms, and Friday's name change from Malone College to Malone University.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Marian
On the field, the Pioneers and Knights competed in an offensive shootout that saw a combined 1,013 total yards of offense, 11 touchdowns, and just four punts. Malone led 24-16 at halftime and then maintained at least an eight-point advantage over the final two quarters as each squad tacked on three touchdowns in the second half en route to the 45-37 final.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Marian
The loss brought Marian's three-game winning streak to a halt, dropping the Knights' record to 3-2 overall and 0-2 MSFA Mideast. The Pioneers, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play with the victory.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Taylor
Malone entered this game ranked 25th in the NAIA National Poll. The Pioneers completed a 42-17 victory on the road at Taylor (IN) University. The Pioneers scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions to take command of the League contest.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Taylor
Malone led 35-3 at halftime and then stretched its advantage to 42-3 midway through the third quarter before Taylor added two late scores to account for the 42-17 final. The Pioneers more than doubled the Trojans total offensive output (633 total yards for Malone, 292 total yards for Taylor) and intercepted three Taylor passes while not committing a turnover of their own for the first time this season.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Taylor
The win improved Malone's record to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the MSFA Mideast while Taylor dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Walsh
Malone moved up in rankings to 22nd in the NAIA National Poll and registered a come-from-behind 24-21 victory over local rival Walsh University at Fawcett Stadium.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Walsh
Trailing 21-17 late in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers took possession of the ball with 4:03 remaining on the clock and proceeded to march down the field on a 12-play, 96-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh to wide receiver Tyler Davis.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Walsh
Walsh then got the ball back with a little over a minute remaining, but was unable to get into field-goal range as the Pioneer defense stopped the Cavaliers on downs to cement the 24-21 victory. With the win, Malone claimed the Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy for the third straight year and improved its record to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the MSFA Mideast. Walsh dropped to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in league play with the loss.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Urbana
Malone entered this week ranked 18th in NAIA National Poll and registered its fifth consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium with a 22-6 non-conference win against Urbana University. The Pioneers entered the contest with the top-rated offense in the NAIA.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Urbana
Malone's defense limited Urbana to seven total first downs, negative seven (-7) rushing yards, and 127 yards of total offense. The Pioneers led 13-0 at halftime and then increased their score to 22-0 in the third quarter. Following a blocked fourth-quarter punt, Urbana managed to get on the scoreboard with a touchdown run.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Urbana
Malone improved their overall record to 5-1 with the victory while Urbana, which is now in transition to becoming a member of NCAA Division II, dropped to 1-7 on the year.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, St. Xavier
The 16th-ranked Malone team rallied from a 23-14 fourth-quarter deficit to record a 27-23 win against NAIA No. 12 Saint Xavier (IL) University at Fawcett Stadium. The Saint Xavier entered the final quarter with a 16-7 lead, but Pioneer quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh led Malone back into the lead, throwing three touchdown passes to put Malone in front by 27-23 in the fourth quarter.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, St. Xavier
Saint Xavier threatened to score on its last possession of the game as they moved into scoring position with a first and goal on the Pioneers nine-yard line. However, as it was able to do throughout the contest, the Malone defense came up with a big stop when it needed it most, keeping the Cougars out of the end zone on four straight plays to preserve the four-point triumph.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, St. Xavier
The victory stretched the Pioneers current winning streak to six games and improved Malone's record to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play. Saint Xavier, meanwhile, saw its six-game winning streak come to an end as the Cougars record fell to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in league play.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, St. Francis
The #10 Malone University football team suffered its first Mid-States Football Association Mideast League defeat of the year in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Malone committed four turnovers and had two punts blocked in the 45-24 loss to  the #3-ranked University of Saint Francis.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, St. Francis
The Pioneers trailed by a 24-10 deficit at halftime before Saint Francis scored three quick third-quarter touchdowns that stretched the lead to 45-10. Malone continued to play and added two late scores to cut the Saint Francis advantage to 45-24. However, the Pioneers were unable to overcome their early miscues, falling to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the MSFA Mideast.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, St. Francis
With the victory, Saint Francis secured at least a share of the league title, pushing its home winning streak to 50 games and improving its record to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the MSFA Mideast.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Ohio Dominican
The NAIA #13 Malone University football team scored 16 unanswered third-quarter points but still failed to overcome a 21-0 halftime deficit as the Pioneers concluded their regular-season schedule at Fawcett Stadium with a 34-24 loss to NAIA No. 23 Ohio Dominican University. The victory improved Ohio Dominican's record to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the MSFA Mideast while Malone fell to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Ohio Dominican
Ohio Dominican entered the game coming of a previous 56-0 win over Urbana while Malone came in after a 45-24 loss to Saint Francis (Indiana). The previous meeting of the two teams was in 2007, when Ohio Dominican won 31-21.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Victory Bowl
Malone concluded its 2008 play by taking on the 8-2 Northwestern (MN) Eagles in the 2008 Victory Bowl. The game was played at 7:00 PM (CST) on Friday November 21, 2008 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Malone was defending their title as the 2007 Victory Bowl winners, and made their third consecutive trip to the bowl.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Game summaries, Victory Bowl
Malone and Northwestern matched closely on statistics for the game with the exception of turnovers, where Northwestern had the advantage. In addition to fumbles, two interceptions were returned for touchdowns by Northwestern.


2008 Malone Pioneers football team, Season rankings
At the conclusion of the 2008 regular season, Malone had created several impressive rankings for both individual and team play in the NAIA Division I, including:


2008 Malta Cup
The 2008 Malta Cup was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 4 and 10 February 2008 at the Hilton Conference Center in Portomaso, Malta.


2008 Malta Cup
The Gambling Commission looked at allegations of match-fixing during the round-robin stage of the tournament.


2008 Malta Cup
Shaun Murphy won the title by defeating Ken Doherty 9–3 in the final.


2008 Malta Cup, Group stage
Group matches were played over 6 frames. A win was worth 2 points and a tie 1 point. The top player from each group qualified to the semi-finals.


2008 Malta International Football Tournament
The 2008 Malta International Football Tournament was the fourteenth and last edition of the Malta International Tournament, a biannual football competition organised by the Malta Football Association for a select men's national football team. It was held in Malta, from 2 February to 6 February 2008, with games played at the National Stadium in Ta' Qali.


2008 Malta International Football Tournament
Besides Malta's national team, Armenia, Belarus and Iceland contested this edition.


2008 Malta Open darts
2008 Malta Open is a darts tournament, which took place in Malta in 2008.


2008 Maltese general election
General elections were held in Malta on Saturday, 8 March 2008 alongside local elections. The governing Nationalist Party won a narrow victory over the Malta Labour Party.


2008 Maltese general election, Background
The House of Representatives was dissolved on 4 February, with elections scheduled for 8 March, the same day that local elections were to be held in 23 of 68 local councils.


2008 Maltese general election, Results
Initial exit polls and statistics suggested a very close result. Preliminary results had been expected by Sunday noon but these had to be delayed until a full first count was completed.


2008 Maltese general election, Results
The Nationalist Party won with 49.33% to Labour's 48.9% a difference of 1,580 votes. Just under 2% of registered voters, 5,266 individuals, failed to collect their voting documents, so fewer than 310,000 people were eligible to vote on 8 March 2008. In total, voter turnout was 93%, the lowest in Malta since 1971.


2008 Maltese general election, Results
As the Nationalist Party won the popular vote but elected only 31 Members of Parliament to Labour's 34, it was assigned an additional four seats to give the party a parliamentary majority.


2008 Maltese general election, Results
Two other political parties participated in this election, Democratic Alternative and National Action, but both failed to win any seats.


2008 Maltese general election, Results
Twelve casual elections were held in April 2008 to fill vacancies arising from candidates elected from two districts declining their second seat. Both the Nationalist Party and Labour each elected six members in this way, leaving the overall parliamentary numbers unchanged.


2008 Maltese local elections
Local elections were held in Malta on 8 March 2008, the same day of the general election. This year, the election was held in 23 of the 68 Maltese localities. These 23 localities are: Valletta (the capital city), Senglea (Città Invicta), Żebbuġ (Città Rohan), Żejtun (Città Beland), Balzan, Dingli, Fontana, Għajnsielem, Għasri, Iklin, Kirkop, Marsa, Mellieħa, Mqabba, Nadur, Pembroke, Qrendi, San Ġiljan, San Pawl il-Baħar, Santa Venera, Ta' Xbiex, Xewkija and Żurrieq. A separate local election was held on 24 May in Mtarfa, after the previous council was dissolved a monthly earlier. 12 candidates contested the election, in which 3 councillors were elected for the Nationalist Party while 2 councillors were elected for the Malta Labour Party (MLP).


2008 Maltese local elections, Candidates
In total, 241 candidates ran for election. Of these, 120 were candidates for the Malta Labour Party (MLP), 110 for the Nationalist Party (PN), six for Democratic Alternative, and one candidate for the Alpha Party. Four candidates ran as independents.


2008 Maltese local elections, Voter turnout
Voter turnout was lowest in San Pawl il-Baħar (68 percent turnout) and highest in Dingli and Qrendi (both 94 percent turnout).


2008 Manchester City Council election
Elections to Manchester City Council took place on 1 May 2008. One third of the council was up for election - every ward of the city returned one councillor at this election out of the three councillors a ward in the city has.


2008 Manchester City Council election
Four national political parties - the Conservative Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Green Party - each stood a candidate in every ward in this election. There were candidates from other political parties standing in some of the wards, but there were no independent candidates standing for election this year in the city.


2008 Manchester City Council election
The Labour party retained overall control of the council. The Green party lost their only seat in Hulme to Labour, and the Conservatives failed to gain their first elected councillor, though became the third party on the council due to having one councillor through an earlier defection. The Liberal Democrats, who had suffered two defections since the last election - firstly the aforementioned Tory defection, and another to Labour - gained two councillors (in Miles Platting & Newton Heath and Northenden) but lost one (in Longsight) to Labour.


2008 Manchester City Council election
Voting took place between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 1 May 2008 and counting took place that night at the Town Hall. Overall turnout fell slightly to 27%.


2008 Manchester City Council election, Ward results
Below is a list of the 32 individual wards with the candidates standing in those wards and the number of votes the candidates acquired. The winning candidate per ward is in bold.


2008 Manitoba electoral redistribution
The Manitoba electoral redistribution of 2008 started on April 14, 2008 when Manitoba's Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission made up of Manitoba Chief Justice Richard J. Scott, Chief Electoral Officer Richard D. Balasko, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University College of the North Denise K. Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Professor of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba Richard Sigurdson, and President and Vice-Chancellor at Brandon University Louis Visentin released the population counts of the 1998 electoral boundaries based on Census 2006 population counts provided by Statistics Canada. The Pas was the only riding not to have its boundaries be changed. The Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission released its report after months of public consultation and deliberation.


2008 Manitoba electoral redistribution
These boundaries first took effect in the 2011 election of the Manitoba Legislature.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season
The 2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 62nd in the club's history. Coached by Des Hasler and captained by Matt Orford, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2008 Telstra Premiership.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
With the departure of hooker Michael Monaghan, many questioned whether the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles could be as competitive as in 2007 and losses in the first 2 rounds seemed to confirm this. Manly Warringah's first win came in round 3 at Brookvale with a 52–6 thrashing of the New Zealand Warriors and followed this up with a 20–2 shutout of South Sydney. In the round 5 grand final rematch against the Storm, Manly were soundly beaten 26–4 and doubt about their premiership credentials resurfaced. In Heritage Round (Rd 6) Manly Warringah had a season defining last gasp win over bitter rivals Parramatta, with Manly overcoming injuries before and during the game including one to winger Michael Bani who had to be stretchered off the ground after being knocked out.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
Manly Warringah seemed to use this game as a springboard and entered a dangerous run of form, notching up numerous impressive wins over top teams such as a 30–12 win over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, a 42–0 annihilation of the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale Oval and a 34–14 win over the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park in round 17. In round 18 Manly avenged their opening round loss to bitter rivals and eventual preliminary finalists Cronulla with a 34–6 hammering of them at Toyota Stadium.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
In round 19, Manly once again faced historical rivals Parramatta and in a repeat of round 6, Manly lost halfback Matt Orford and lock Luke Williamson before the game, and after only minutes five-eighth Jamie Lyon and prop Jason King were forced off the field with injury. Despite the setbacks and an early challenge from the Eels, Manly ran away with the game and finished 28–10 winners.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
Some hiccups against the Roosters in round 20, the Storm in round 22 and the Rabbitohs in round 23 meant Manly finished the regular season tied first with Melbourne and Cronulla but second on points differential and Manly missed out on claiming their first minor premiership since 1997. In the qualifying final Manly faced 7th placed St. George at Brookvale.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
This game was club legend Steve Menzies' last game at Brookvale and he opened the scoring with an unusual charge down try in which after kicking ahead to himself and falling over, the ball bounced up and hit him in the head before he finally grounded it. Manly Warringah were easy 38–6 winners and departing Dragons centre Mark Gasnier was seen on the sidelines crying.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
After getting the week off, Manly faced the history-making New Zealand Warriors whose late season charge got them into 8th place where they became the first 8th placed team to advance past qualifying finals with a dramatic and rare defeat of the Storm at Olympic Park. Despite an early challenge, Manly Warringah crushed the Warriors 32–6 and showcased their trademark wall of defence and attacking flair. With the win, Manly Warringah qualified for their 17th grand final, where in a rematch of the 2007 decider, they would play the Melbourne Storm who had bounced back from the Warriors' loss with wins over the Brisbane Broncos and Cronulla Sharks.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Season Summary
The story was very different for the Sea Eagles this time around as they decimated the Storm 40–0 to win their seventh premiership in front of 80,388 at ANZ Stadium. It was Michael Monaghan's replacement, the previously unknown Matt Ballin who scored the first try of the match. The game was also notable for winger Michael Robertson's hat-trick and retiring legend Steve Menzies' try 10 minutes from full-time, which he scored after coming back onto the field to replace the injured Steve Matai. Manly prop forward Brent Kite was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal after a powerhouse display which included a classy try in the 58th minute. This is the largest winning margin in a grand final in rugby league history.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
1st HalfThe grand final's first quarter was played end to end with each side able to hold the other's attacking opportunities out. In the twenty-fourth minute the Sea Eagles' hooker Matt Ballin  at close-range ran from dummy-half and crashed over the try-line. After the video referee ruled the grounding successful, Matt Orford's conversion attempt hit the upright and missed so the score remained 4 - 0 with fifteen minutes of the first half remaining.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
Nine minutes later, the Sea Eagles were again on the attack and from ten metres out, moved the ball through the hands to the left wing where Michael Robertson dived over in the corner. The video referee was again called upon to examine the try, which was ruled to have been successfully scored just as Robertson's feet were being dragged onto the sideline by a defender. Orford's difficult kick went wide, so the Sea Eagles' lead remained at 8-0 with under five minutes of the half remaining which were played out with no further points scored.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
2nd HalfIn the forty-seventh minute, The Sea Eagles were within twenty metres of the Storm's try-line when Matt Orford at first receiver put a grubber kick into the left corner which bounced up perfectly for Michael Robertson racing through on the wing to grab and dive over for his second try. Kicking duty was handed to Steve Matai who coolly converted Robertson's try from next to the sideline, bringing his side's lead to 14–0.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
Three minutes later, and from a similar attacking position, the Sea Eagles kept the ball alive, a pass from Brett Stewart fifteen metres out arriving at the feet of Steve Matai who, with only one defender before him, picked it up and passed to Michael Robertson to dive over again in the same corner. Matai's second sideline conversion attempt missed, so the Sea Eagles were leading 18–0.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
In the fifty-seventh minute the Sea Eagles were again down in the Storm's half and on the last tackle decided to run the ball, which was kept alive and passed through seven sets of hands before going to a charging Brent Kite who stretched out of the tackle and slammed the ball down under the posts. Matai kicked the easy conversion and it was sea Eagles 24, Storm 0.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
Ten minutes later the Sea Eagles got another try when, from within the Storm's ten-metre line, they moved the ball out to David Williams on the right wing to dive over in the corner. The conversion attempt by Matai went wide so the Sea Eagles were leading 28–0. In the seventy-second minute the Sea Eagles ran the ball down toward the left corner with Robertson passing back in to Steve Menzies, who was playing in his 349th and final NRL match to crash over for a try, his 180th.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
Jamie Lyon took over the goal kicking and converted Menzies' try to give Manly a 34–0 lead. However, the finale was to come at the seventy-five-minute mark when from their forty-metre line, Sea Eagles second rower Glenn Hall burst into open space, passing back inside for Brett Stewart who was running through in support. Stewart was chased down just short of the try-line by Storm halfback Cooper Cronk, but he managed to flick the ball back without looking into the arms of Steven Bell to also get a try in his last game at the club. Jamie Lyon's simple conversion put the final score at 40–0.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
It was at the time the fourth-biggest loss in the Storm's history.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeated the Melbourne Storm 40–0, scoring eight tries, four of which were converted. This is the highest Rugby League Grand Final margin in Australian history, eclipsing the 1975 NSWRFL season's Grand Final where Eastern Suburbs defeated St George, 38–0 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It is also the first time that a team has been kept scoreless in a Grand Final since the 1978 NSWRL Grand Final Replay, where Cronulla lost to Manly 16–0. Sea Eages forward Brent Kite was named man-of-the-match and received the Clive Churchill Medal.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Finals, Grand Final
The 2008 Grand Final was the last match for Super League-bound Steve Menzies of Manly. Playing in this match brought his career games played to 349, equalling the current record from Terry Lamb.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Player statistics
Note: Games and (sub) show total games played, e.g. 1 (1) is 2 games played.


2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season, Representative Players, International
* Brett Stewart was originally selected in Australia's World Cup squad but withdrew with a shoulder injury.


2008 Manx Grand Prix
The 2008 Manx Grand Prix was held between 18 and 30 August on the Mountain Course. The Senior event was won by the Welsh rider Adam Barclay, and the Junior and Ultra-Lightweight events by the Manx rider Dan Kneen, who also scored the fastest lap in three different races.


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 1; Newcomers Race A
Monday 25 August 2008 – Mountain Course  2 laps – 75.46 miles (121.40 km).


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 1; Newcomers Race A
Fastest Lap: Ryan Kneen – 104.005 mph (21' 45.97) on lap 2.


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 1; Newcomers Race C
Monday 25 August 2008 – Mountain Course  2 laps – 75.46 miles (121.40 km).


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 1; Newcomers Race C
Fastest Lap: Daniel Kneen – 96.829 mph (23' 22.76) on lap 2.


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 2; Senior Classic Race
Monday 25 August 2008 – Mountain Course 3 laps – 113.00 miles (181.96 km)


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 3; Junior Classic Race
Wednesday 27 August 2008 – Mountain Course 3 laps – 113.00 miles (181.96 km)


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 3; Junior Classic Race
Fastest Lap; Roy Richardson – 22 minutes 23.71 seconds  101.084 mph


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 3; Lightweight Classic Race
Wednesday 27 August 2008 – Mountain Course 3 laps – 113.00 miles (181.96 km)


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 3; Lightweight Classic Race
Fastest Lap; Ewan Hamilton – 23 minutes 57.29 seconds  94.503 mph


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 4; Junior Manx Grand Prix
Wednesday 27 August 2008 – Mountain Course 3 laps – 113.00 miles (181.96 km)


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 4; Junior Manx Grand Prix
Fastest Lap; Michael Weldon – 19 minutes 20.88 seconds  117.004 mph


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 5; Senior Manx Grand Prix
Saturday  30 August 2008 – Mountain Course  2 laps – 75.46 miles (121.40 km) – Reduced Race Distance.


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 5; Senior Manx Grand Prix
Fastest Lap: Adam Barclay – 119.996 mph (18' 51.94) on lap 2.


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 6a; Lightweight Manx Grand Prix
Saturday  30 August 2008 – Mountain Course  3 laps – 113.00 miles (181.96 km) – Reduced Race Distance.


2008 Manx Grand Prix, Race results, Race 6b; Ultra-Lightweight Manx Grand Prix
Saturday  30 August 2008 – Mountain Course  3 laps – 113.00 miles (181.96 km) – Reduced Race Distance.


2008 Mardakert clashes
The 2008 Mardakert clashes began on March 4 after the 2008 Armenian election protests. It involved the heaviest fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1994 ceasefire after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.


2008 Mardakert clashes
Armenian sources accused Azerbaijan of trying to take advantage of ongoing unrest in Armenia. Azerbaijani sources blamed Armenia, claiming that the Armenian government was trying to divert attention from internal tensions in Armenia.


2008 Mardakert clashes
Following the incident, on March 14 the United Nations General Assembly by a recorded vote of 39 in favour to 7 against adopted Resolution 62/243, demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forces.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
During and shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and Azeris were involved in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War from February 1988 to May 1994. As the war progressed, the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan became enveloped in a protracted, undeclared war as Azerbaijan attempted to curb the secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh. The enclave's parliament voted on February 20, 1988, to unify with Armenia, and the vast majority of the Karabakh population voted in favor of independence in a referendum.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The demand to unify with Armenia, which proliferated in the late 1980s, began in a relatively peaceful manner; however, in the following months, as the Soviet Union's disintegration neared, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between the two ethnic groups, resulting in claims of ethnic cleansing by all sides.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The war was the most destructive ethnic conflict in both terms of lives and property that emerged after the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991. The declaration of independence was the final result of a "long-standing resentment in the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh against serious limitations of its cultural and religious freedom by central Soviet and Azerbaijani authorities," but more importantly, as a territorial conflict regarding the land.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave's government, the Armenian majority voted to secede from Azerbaijan, and in the process proclaimed the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
Full -scale fighting erupted in the late winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) failed to bring an end resolution that both sides could work with. In the spring of 1993, Armenian forces captured regions outside the enclave itself, threatening the involvement of other countries in the region. By the cease fire in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of not only the enclave but also approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave, which they still control.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, First Nagorno-Karabakh War
As many as 230,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and 800,000 Azeris from Armenia and Karabakh have been displaced as a result of the conflict. A Russian-brokered cease fire was signed in May 1994 and peace talks, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, have been held ever since by Armenia and Azerbaijan. The ceasefire is self-monitored by the armed forces of the now de facto independent Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and by Azerbaijan. Violations of the cease fire in the form of sporadic shooting incidents have occurred, but the cease fire has largely held.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, 2008 Armenian presidential election protests
Following the Armenian Presidential Election of 2008, there were a series of mass protests in Yerevan, Armenia alleging electoral fraud. Initially these protests were peaceful though unauthorized by government. They began on February 20 and lasted for 10-days. Despite the urging of the government to stop the unauthorized demonstrations, the protests continued until March 1. On the morning of March 1, police and army troops dispersed the 700–1,000 persons who remained overnight.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, 2008 Armenian presidential election protests
At noon on March 1, over ten thousand demonstrators held a protest at the French embassy in Yerevan and over the evening, clashes broke out between protestors and law enforcement. A 20-day state of emergency, including a censure on free press, was declared by the incumbent President Robert Kocharyan. On March 2, the Armenian Army with armoured personnel carriers.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, 2008 Armenian presidential election protests
Up to 9 people died in clashes between police and protesters: one police officer and eight civilians. Sixteen officers were hospitalized with bullet wounds. On March 4, 2008, the OSCE issued a press release citing the ban on independent news coverage and censorship temporarily imposed by Armenian authorities as contrary to OSCE commitments.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Background, 2008 Armenian presidential election protests
In this context, the Armenian side blames Azerbaijan for trying to take advantage of unrest in Armenia. The Azeri side blames Armenia claiming that they are trying to divert attention from problems at home however Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has also said his country is ready to re-take the region by force, and has been buying the military hardware and ammunition to do so.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Prelude
In a sign of disapproval after the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, Azerbaijan's parliament voted to withdraw a 33-strong Azeri peacekeeping team that has been serving there under NATO command since 1999, as a part of Turkish peacekeeping mission. Speaking on March 4, Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev said that Kosovo's independence is "emboldening Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh", and that his country was ready to take it back by force.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Prelude
Prior to the skirmishes, Ilham Aliyev had insisted on numerous occasions that his country was ready to re-take the region by force, and had been buying the military hardware and ammunition to do so. Aliyev nevertheless expressed hope that Azerbaijan's growing military could nudge talks towards a diplomatic breakthrough: "A time will come when the Armenians will agree to that (settlement)," he said.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Active stage, Armenian version of events
According to the Armenian side, Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian positions near the village of Levonarkh in the Mardakert Region of north-eastern Nagorno-Karabakh early March 4, 2008. They then briefly seized positions held by Armenian forces, which were later recaptured. The Armenian side also claimed that eight Azeri servicemen were killed and seven wounded, with two Armenian servicemen wounded, and that the Azeris fled leaving armament on the battlefield. Armenian president Robert Kocharyan also claimed that Azeri troops used heavy artillery in the fighting.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Active stage, Azerbaijani version of events
According to the Azerbaijani side, Armenian forces attacked the positions of Azerbaijani army in the Tartar district of Azerbaijan. In the resulting battle, eight Azeri servicemen and twelve Armenian servicemen were killed, and four Armenian servicemen were wounded.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Aftermath
On March 7, 2008, Nagorno-Karabakh's De facto news agency reports a concentration Azerbaijani troops at the contact line where the prior ceasefire violation occurred. On March 8–9 another exchange of gunfire occurred at the contact line near Agdam. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said two Azerbaijani civilians were killed and two wounded in the shooting overnight on March 8, in the Agdam region. Sabiroglu claimed that additional small arms gunfire between Armenian and Azeri troops occurred on March 9, killing one Azerbaijani soldier and injuring another. He also claimed that an Armenian soldier was also killed which Nagorno-Karabakh's defense minister, Lt. Col. Senor Asratian, denied.


2008 Mardakert clashes, Aftermath, Dispute over casualties
The Armenian head of national military investigation institute of the Defense Ministry rejected the Azerbaijani claim about twelve Armenian deaths. Meanwhile, the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense insisted that the claim by Armenian president about eight casualties on Azeri side was false because it would be impossible to hide the deaths of four more servicemen in the presence of the media and the public in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan insisted that four Azeri soldiers and twelve Armenian soldiers were killed and fifteen Armenian soldiers wounded, while Armenia insists that eight Azeri soldiers were killed and seven wounded, and that two Armenian soldiers were wounded, with no Armenian fatalities.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Australian Open series
Sharapova began her season at the Australian Open, as the 5th seed. She won the tournament without dropping a set (or playing a tie-break set), as she gained redemption following the previous year's heavy defeat in the final to Serena Williams. En route, she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the second round, served three bagels (one each to Elena Vesnina, Elena Dementieva and World No. 1 Justine Henin, whom she defeated very impressively in the quarter-finals) and defeated Jelena Janković (who had defeated the defending champion Williams in the quarter-finals) in the semi-finals, before facing Serbian Ana Ivanovic in the final. In a match dubbed as the "Glam Slam final", Sharapova upset the highly fancied Serb in straight sets to claim her first Australian Open title, and third Major title.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Middle East series
After playing two Fed Cup rubbers for Russia to kick off February, Sharapova then competed at the Qatar Ladies Open. She defeated Galina Voskoboeva, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwańska (who had benefited from the withdrawal of top seed Ana Ivanovic in the third round) before facing (and defeating in three sets) Vera Zvonareva in the final.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Middle East series
Sharapova then withdrew from Dubai due to a viral infection.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Indian Wells & Miami
Sharapova reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells for the third time in four years, but was defeated there by compatriot and eventual runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, bringing an end to her 18-match winning streak to start the season. Following Indian Wells, Sharapova withdrew from Miami, citing a recurring shoulder injury.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Clay court season, American clay court season
After withdrawing from Miami, Sharapova won her first career clay court title in Amelia Island, defeating Dominika Cibulková in the final. At Charleston, she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the quarter-finals.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Clay court season, European clay court season
After deciding to skip the 2008 Qatar Telecom German Open, Sharapova next played at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, reaching the semi-finals before being forced to withdraw from her match against eventual champion Jelena Janković due to a calf injury.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Clay court season, European clay court season
Following Justine Henin's surprise retirement during the same week as the Rome event, Sharapova was elevated to World No. 1 in the rankings. Subsequently, she was named as the top seed at the French Open, which she needed to win to complete a Career Grand Slam (and thus protect her top ranking). After surviving a close final set against compatriot Evgeniya Rodina in the first round, and another three-setter against Bethanie Mattek in the second, Sharapova fell in the fourth round in three sets to eventual finalist Dinara Safina, having held several match points in the second set. As a result, she lost her World No. 1 ranking, after just three weeks, to Ana Ivanovic, who went on to win the tournament.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, Wimbledon
Sharapova's 2008 Wimbledon campaign turned out to be short-lived, as she was defeated in the second round by Alla Kudryavtseva, in the process suffering her earliest ever defeat at Wimbledon, and her earliest defeat at a Major tournament since the 2003 US Open.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly summary, US Open series and shoulder injury
Sharapova next played at the 2008 Rogers Cup, however she had to withdraw following her second round win against Marta Domachowska due to a recurring shoulder injury, which ended up being serious enough to necessitate surgery. As a result, Sharapova was forced to withdraw from her remaining tournaments for the year, including the Olympic tennis tournament in Beijing, the US Open (thus missing her first Major tournament since her debut in 2003) and the year-end championships. Her withdrawals from those events eventually led to her finishing the year ranked World No. 9, her lowest year-end singles ranking since 2003.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, All matches
This table chronicles all the matches of Sharapova in 2008, including walkovers (W/O) which the WTA does not count as wins. They are marked ND for non-decision or no decision.


2008 Maria Sharapova tennis season, Yearly Records, Head-to-head matchups
Ordered by percentage, number of victories to number of losses, then in alphabetical order


2008 Marion Mayhem season
The 2008 Marion Mayhem season was the 3rd season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. Finishing with a 7-5 record in 2008, the Mayhem were eliminated from the 2008 CIFL playoffs. The Mayhem players had already turned in their equipment for the year when it was announced that the defending CIFL champion Rochester Raiders (12-0) had been suspended by the league and had to forfeit their playoff spot. The Mayhem were invited to replace the former champs in the CIFL Atlantic Conference Western Division playoffs where they would face their conference foe Saginaw. The Mayhem gathered their players back together and headed to Saginaw to face the Sting. The playoff game went down to the wire where a goal-line stand by the Saginaw defense with only seconds left on the clock ended the Mayhem's season. The final score Sting 41 - Mayhem 34.


2008 Market Rasen earthquake
The 2008 Market Rasen earthquake occurred at 00:56:47.8s GMT on 27 February 2008. According to the British Geological Survey the earthquake registered a reading of 5.2 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre 2.5 miles (4 km) north of Market Rasen and 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Grimsby.


2008 Market Rasen earthquake, Duration
The duration of the earthquake was confirmed as roughly 10 seconds.