PM Anwar retains PKR presidency as daughter vies for No. 2 post

He will serve third and final term till 2028; daughter defends move to contest position

- Harith Mustaffa

JOHOR BAHRU - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim retained the presidency of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) unchallenged, as expected, after nominations for the closely watched leadership race closed on May 9, and the spotlight is now trained on the battle for deputy president involving his daughter.

Datuk Seri Anwar, 77, will serve his third and final term till 2028, which coincides with the next Malaysian general election. He was first elected PKR president in 2018.

The party anchors Malaysia's multi-coalition government that has been in power for 2½ years, with seven Cabinet ministers among its ranks aside from PM Anwar, who is also Finance Minister.

PKR's No. 2 post will pit former allies Nurul Izzah Anwar, 44, and Rafizi Ramli, 47, who is Minister of Economy and the party's incumbent deputy president, against each other.

Ms Nurul Izzah, a PKR vice-president, until recently co-chaired a secretariat that advises Mr Anwar as Finance Minister after losing her parliamentary seat in the November 2022 general election. She is Mr Anwar's eldest daughter.