Hadi retains PAS presidency

(Malay Mail Online) – Incumbent PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (pic) retained his post tonight, beating challenger Ahmad Awang in the first open contest in over half a decade.

Abdul Hadi beat Ahmad, a former vice-president, by snapping up 928 votes over the latter’s 233 votes and will now continue to head the Islamist party for at least two more years.

A total of 1,162 delegates out of the 1,189 present voted, with one unreturned ballot.

The result was announced by PAS elections director Asmuni Awi, just over three hours after voting was closed at 7pm today.

The Marang MP has now stayed unchallenged as president since 2002, when he was elected from the post of deputy president, replacing the late Datuk Fadzil Noor who passed away from a heart attack.

Abdul Hadi’s win tonight is expected to kick off a landslide win of the clergy class, or ulama in the party elections.

He was among those in the candidates list endorsed by the powerful Ulama wing released in its muktamar, or annual congress on Wednesday, together with other pro-ulama leaders.

The full results are expected to be announced tomorrow morning when the muktamar continues.