JOHOR BAHRU: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter Nurul Izzah is his new heir-apparent after being elected as deputy president in the ruling Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), defeating incumbent Rafizi Ramli in a intense campaign that saw both even levelling fierce criticsms against some government policies and moves. 

PKR election committee chairperson Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced at the party's ongoing convention on Friday night (May 23) that Nurul Izzah, who is Anwar’s eldest daughter, has won after garnering 9,803 votes against Rafizi's 3,866 votes.

Nurul Izzah was the firm favourite to win, given that she had garnered open support from more than half of the party’s 222 division heads.

She was contesting the post for the first time. 

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Meanwhile Rafizi, who is also Minister of Economic Affairs, was contesting the deputy presidency for the third time. This was the second time he has suffered defeat, having lost to former party member Azmin Ali in 2018. 

He won in the last party polls in 2022 after defeating Saifuddin Nasution, who is currently Minister of Home Affairs in Anwar’s cabinet. 

The contest for the deputy presidency was keenly watched as the winner will be the presumptive heir apparent to Anwar, who is serving his final term as party chief as PKR’s constitution caps the tenure of its president at two consecutive terms. 

Nurul Izzah’s candidacy also garnered national attention as it cast into spotlight the issue of nepotism and family dynasty politics. 

Observers had told CNA that having a father-daughter leadership team at the head of a key political party crosses a red line for many Malaysians, and it is an issue the opposition will likely play up in upcoming polls to discredit Anwar and his coalition partners. 

During the course of his campaign, Rafizi all but admitted defeat in the contest, taking aim at perceived irregularities in the internal party system for voting. 

Rafizi and party members aligned with him have previously raised concerns on voting irregularities - including vote rigging - which they claim have led to some of them losing their positions as divisional chiefs.

These include Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who lost the Setiawangsa chief position in April and Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasir, who lost as Johor Bahru divisional head the same month. 

Rafizi had also pledged that he would resign from Cabinet if he lost. 

Anwar played down this possibility on Wednesday, stressing that there are no plans to make changes to his Cabinet regardless of who wins the party’s deputy presidency. 

Both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi launched nationwide campaigns over the last two weeks to canvass support among the party’s grassroots. 

Observers noted that their distinct campaign styles were embodied by their respective slogans. 

Rafizi’s faction was campaigning under the slogan “hiruk” short form for “hidupkan idealisme reformasi dalam ujian kuasa”, which means reviving reform ideals while in power. The term “hiruk” also means creating chaos, which analysts said encapsulates Rafizi’s direct and confrontational style of campaigning. 

On the other hand, Nurul Izzah’s campaign slogan was “damai”, or peace. 

Observers pointed out that Nurul Izzah’s approach has been more defensive, citing how she has rejected Rafizi’s offer to debate.