Vote-rigging claims mar internal elections for PM Anwar's party

Shock results of divisional-level ballots prompt emergency meeting of party leaders

- Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR - Allegations of vote-rigging have marred what had appeared to be a muted leadership contest in Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Datuk Seri Anwar and his deputy president Rafizi Ramli are set to be returned unopposed at the national-level polls in May, a move that party leaders say is to maintain stability in the lynchpin of his disparate multi-coalition government. But several shocks at divisional-level votes, held from April 11 to 20, have raised claims of irregularities including vote-buying and outright tampering of results.

An emergency leadership council meeting to discuss the polls will be held on April 23 at the request of over a third of council members, PKR secretary general Fuziah Salleh confirmed on April 20.

This comes after even Natural Resources and Environmental Stability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad lost his Setiawangsa (Kuala Lumpur) division chairmanship on April 19, and other fellow vice-presidents aligned to Economy Minister Rafizi were also defeated at the polls for the ruling party.

"I believe that a fair and transparent election process is the basis of Keadilan's strength as a reformist party," said Mr Nazmi in a Facebook post on April 20, adding that an appeal has been filed as there are "issues that must be raised... as part of our commitment" to fair polls conducted with integrity.