Candidates for the top two spots in Parti Keadilan Rakyat ( PKR ), the country’s prime minister, have voiced opposition to his anti-corruption agenda, but the closely-watched election has taken an unusual turn with incumbent Rafizi Ramli urging support for Nurul Izzah Anwar’s daughter.
Nurul Izzah, 44, and Rafizi, 47, the economy minister of Malaysia, squared off against one another for the deputy presidency. The nominations for PKR’s leadership election were closed last Friday ( May 9 ).  ,
The winner will be Anwar’s presumed heir apparent, who is unopposed for the position of PKR president, and who will assist in leading the group in the government’s upcoming general election, which is scheduled for February 2028.
Rafizi warned over the weekend that if he straddles the anti-corruption campaign that won him the presidency, he could lose the next general election.  ,
According to Rafizi, who was quoted by the local news outlet Free Malaysia Today ( FMT ),” We are still far from confident that we will continue to serve into Anwar Ibrahim’s second term.”  ,
Rafizi, who spoke at a campaign show in Negeri Sembilan about his election, said the electorate is concerned about the president’s “failure to tackle corruption and abuse of power.”  ,
He cited a study from the group that found that more voters who viewed this as a “major problem” increased by 15 percent items. In April 2025, the percentage increased to 31 % from 16 % in November 2023.
Rafizi, whose plan phrase reads” Revive the principles of reformasi in the evaluation of power,” said,” I have discussed and presented it to the PM and told him frequently that do not take the public’s perception of corruption softly because that is our most valuable asset.”
Rafizi made a surprise move at a subsequent event in Kedah on Monday, urging his followers to support Nurul Izzah and framing the election for PKR’s assistant administration as a test of understanding of Anwar.
What message do Nurul Izzah send to the people if Nurul Izzah lost? If she loses, Anwar may be rejected by PKR members as a sign. Nurul Izzah may win, he said, because of this.