Voters in the hotly-contested Permatang Pauh by-election will decide today whether to return opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to parliament after a decade-long absence.

Here are the main issues that have sparked debate in the intense 10-day campaign.

ECONOMY

Malaysia's ailing economy is voters' top concern according to a Merdeka Centre poll of 544 voters in Permatang Pauh. Inflation rose to a 27-year high in July, and the spiralling cost of food and fuel is causing hardship for ordinary citizens. The government was hit with criticism and protests after hiking the petrol price 41 percent in June.

Anwar says his Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance will reduce fuel prices immediately if it ousts the government.

SODOMY

Anwar is defending himself against new sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide, Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan. After his sacking as deputy premier in 1998 he was convicted of sodomy and corruption although the sex charge was later overturned.

The government has campaigned hard on the sodomy issue, saying there is a shadow over Anwar's reputation and that he is not fit to lead. It has also criticised him for refusing to swear to his innocence on the Quran.

Mohamad Saiful visited a mosque last week to swear on the Islamic holy book that he is telling the truth, triggering accusations that he was staging a political stunt ahead of the by-election.

The Merdeka Centre poll found that 59 percent of respondents in Permatang Pauh believed the sexual misconduct allegations were politically motivated.

RACE

The opposition has accused the government of stoking racial tensions in Permatang Pauh, which like the general population is dominated by Malays living alongside Chinese and Indian communities.

It has said the government is painting Anwar - a former radical Islamic student leader - as a 'Chinese agent' who has sold out the Malays in his pursuit of power.

DIRTY TRICKS

Both the government and the opposition have traded allegations that their supporters have been abused and attacked.

Anwar's PKR has said the government is waging a "dirty tricks" campaign including vote-buying and rigging of the electoral roll.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was forced to deny that a surprise cut in the petrol price announced last week was designed to drum up support for the government in the by-election.

It has also defended a corruption raid last week which netted the arrests of two PKR members of the state cabinet, which is run by the opposition alliance, after criticisms that it was politically motivated.

TAKING POWER

Anwar's fortunes in the poll, and the size of his winning margin, will be seen as an indicator of his ability to shrug off the sodomy allegations and be an effective leader of an unwieldy three-member opposition alliance.

He has said he will form a new administration by mid-September with the help of defecting government parliamentarians. A good result in Permatang Pauh will be vital to Anwar's chances of realising his ambitions.