Azmin leads the pack
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: PKR vice president Azmin Ali has received the most nominations for the post of deputy president since divisional meetings kicked off last Friday.
The nomination process is a prelude of what is to come at the October-November party polls. More nominations mean it is more likely that the divisions’ members are going to vote for who was nominated by their divisions.
Azmin has received a whopping 39 nominations up to 7pm today from the total 53 divisions that met since Friday, 24 more than his leading challenger, supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim, who has received 15 nominations so far.
The third contender for the No 2 post, vice-president and Perak PKR chief Mustafa Kamil Ayub has received seven nominations while the Cameron Highlands and Pokok Sena divisions gave both party elections director Fuziah Salleh and chief strategist Tian Chua one nomination each.
Divisions from seven states Kedah, Pahang, Sabah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Perlis met since Friday for their divisional polls which will end today before other divisions from other states commence with their respective meetings over the weekends for the next three weeks.
PKR amended its constitution to pave way for a direct election system, where 400,000 of its members can vote directly for the divisional and all 25 national posts including the party’s top six.
Statistics show that Azmin received strong backing from Pahang and Kelantan, which is Zaid’s homestate although the Kota Bharu division nomitated the former Kota Bharu MP and Umno law minister.
Azmin is also leading the nominations in all the states that met over the weekend.
17 divisions back Wan Azizah
Meanwhile, up to yesterday night, party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has garnered the support of 17 divisions across the country that have concluded their meetings.
