PETALING JAYA: With seven candidates in the running, the contest for three positions of Bersatu vice-president is expected to heat up the party’s elections in November.
Ronald Kiandee and Radzi Jidin are expected to seek re-election, while current deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu is in the race as part of a formula by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, in which party secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin will vie for the deputy presidency.
A source told FMT that Terengganu executive councillor Razali Idris and former federal minister Saifuddin Abdullah are also in the race, alongside Kuang assemblyman Rafiq Abdullah and Batu Kawan Bersatu chief Aziss Zainal Abiddin.
Razali is the party’s information chief while Saifuddin is a Bersatu Supreme Council member.
The source said Muhyiddin and Hamzah have a clear field to be president and deputy president, with no others in the running. An official announcement is expected soon.
The seven leaders were vetted by the Bersatu Supreme Council, which gave the green light for the contest.
The full list of candidates in the party elections will be announced soon, but the list could change if candidates withdraw their nominations, said the source.
In July, Muhyiddin reportedly said the Bersatu Supreme Council had given him the mandate to hold negotiations among party leaders to ensure the party elections do not lead to division.
Under his formula, Faizal would not defend his position as deputy president, making way for Hamzah, who is the parliamentary opposition leader, to take over the post, while Selangor opposition leader Azmin Ali would replace Hamzah as party secretary-general.
Muhyiddin had initially announced at Bersatu’s annual convention in November that he would step down. However, he backtracked the next day, saying his wife advised him to stay on to avoid disappointing Bersatu members.
