3-cornered fight as Khalid, Nurul pull out

The race for PKR No 2 will be a three-cornered fight among party vice-president Azmin Ali, Federal Territory chief Zaid Ibrahim and Perak chief Mustaffa Kamil Ayub.

According to party sources, both Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Lembah Pantai parliamentarian Nurul Izzah Anwar will be bowing out.

It is learned that Nurul Izzah will instead be gunning for one of the four vice-president’s posts.  

Meanwhile, Batu MP Tian Chua, who is a former vice-president, has also opted out of the deputy president's contest despite having picked up five nominations.

He, too, will join Nurul Izzah in vying for a spot among the vice-presidents.

Candidates have until 5pm today to confirm acceptance of their candidacy, with Oct 24 scheduled for the announcement of the names those contesting central leadership posts.

The acceptance of candidates began at 10am today with supporters milling outside the nomination centre at the party headquarters in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya, where make-shift tents had been erected for the event.

It appeared that Azmin supporters - including Selangor exco and PKR vice-presidential candidate Dr Xavier Jayakumar - outnumbered the rest.

The past couple of days,has seen intense last-minute horse-trading  on the final line-up among the candidates.

The  contest appears to be a crowded race with almost 30 eligible candidates, with many expected to eventually drop out.

“A total of 252 have been nominated for various posts (in PKR). Many will withdraw. There will be some surprises,” said outgoing deputy president Syed Husin Ali in a tweet message.

Deputy president hopefuls kick off campaign

After handing in his acceptance form, Azmin ( left ) - frontrunner for the number two race - made his oft-repeated campaign promise to bring Pakatan into Putrajaya.

“I will work with honour and responsibility to until we reach Putrajaya.

“I hope that the members will continue to give their support and that after this party polls, our members will be mature, and that democracy will continue to flourish and that reformasi will take a foothold in Putrajaya,” he said in a short speech.

Soon after, Zaid also handed in his acceptance form through a representative.

His campaign promises in contrast were almost exactly the opposite of his closest rival, Azmin and which, among others, included the vow to bring in “funds” in contrast to Azmin's loftier goals.

“I cannot promise that we can will all make it to Putrajaya like what the other candidates have said, because I’m not the Pakatan Rakyat chief," said Zaid (right) in a blog posting today.

“Preparations for a big victory must start with small ones.

"Small victories like fostering unity among the members, getting enough funding for the party machinery, finding an election candidate that has the blessings and support of the local folk, and not because they are popular within the party.

“This is what I will do,” said the former de facto law minister.

Meanwhile, Mustaffa ( centre in photo ) arrived at the party headquarters at 12.30pm and handed in his nominations form, making him the third candidate for deputy president.

Incumbent president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, being the sole candidate, is certain to retain her post unless there are objections filed.

Confirmed candidates so far:

President

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (won unopposed)

Deputy president

Azmin Ali

Zaid Ibrahim

Mustaffa Kamil Ayub

Vice-president (19 candidates for 4 posts)

Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid

Ansari Abdullah

Baru Bian

Chua Tian Chang

Dominique Ng

Dr Xavier Jayakumar

Fuziah Salleh

James Ghani

Jimmy Donald

Jonson Chong

Mansor Othman

Mohd Yahya Sahri

Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff

N Gobalakrishnan

Nurul Izzah Anwar

S Manikasavagam

Saiman Marjuki

Sivarasa Rasiah

Suresh Kumar Ramachandran

Supreme council (135 candidates for 20 posts)

For the full list of candidates, go here .

VIDEO | 7.25 mins