Drama or no drama, PKR polls continue today

There isn't a dull moment in sight in the lengthy PKR direct polls as it enters its third week today despite the hues and cries over irregularities.

But significantly, the hotly-contested deputy presidential post will no longer be a three-cornered fight with Zaid Ibrahim, who was running second up to last week, pulling out days before the polls hit Selangor.

The state, which is PKR's sole power source, has the most members at more than 100,000, and how Selangor votes will more or less determine the winner in the race.

Nine Selangor divisions will head to the polls  tomorrow and the day after, along with 60 other divisions in Penang, Johor, Terengganu, Sabah, Perak, Sarawak, Malacca and Putrajaya.

Kicking off the polls, however, are eight divisions in Kedah and four in Kelantan, which will vote today.

The embattled Zaid made public his decision to drop out unexpectedly on his blog, citing "malpractices and electoral fraud" in the election as a reason for his decision.

He also resigned from all party posts, including Federal Territories chief and political bureau member, in a show of protest.

Those campaigning for him have long alleged abuse in the polls, pointing fingers at contender and current forerunner Azmin Ali, who has denied any wrongdoing.

Alleged irregularities in Sabah divisions

Last weekend, claims of vote-buying and fraud were levelled against Sabah divisions including Sandakan, Tawau, Libaran and to a certain extent, Tenom.

All of these divisions saw massive turnouts, as opposed to trends of about 10 percent in other Sabah divisions, with results showing remarkable support for Azmin.

Zaid's decision to pull out of the race puts Azmin head and shoulders above the other contender for the post, Mustaffa Kamil Ayub.

Mustaffa, too, has shown unhappiness with the way the polls have been conducted, accusing the party's election committee of disregarding election regulations.

His dissatisfaction was expressed in the memorandum he sent to the election committee on Monday, calling for a halt to the polls until all complaints are addressed.

The same call had  been echoed by Youth chief hopeful Badrul Amin Shahrin early in the nomination stage, and reiterated through a PKR Youth resolution which he initiated yesterday.

Che'gubard, as he is fondly known, is currently hot on the tails of incumbent Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, who is leading with merely 31 votes.

Badrul's running mate Chang Lih Kang is trailing behind Shamsul's partner Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin by 384 votes.

Mustaffa's about-turn

But while Badrul's message has remained relatively consistent, Mustaffa's statement yesterday raised eyebrows.

The PKR vice-president's statement in support of de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim is seen as a means to distance himself from Zaid.

This may also indicate that he will not step out of the race, despite claiming that he may do so if the polls' conditions do not improve.

This could be bad news for those wary of Azmin ( left ) taking the deputy's post, but whether or not he stays in the race, Mustaffa's tally of votes still remains much too low to mount a real challenge against Azmin.

Anxiety over whether the heated contest would split the party also climbed another notch with Zaid claiming that he will form a new party - Keadilan Baru - if sacked.

Throwing down the guantlet at Sungai Petani while on a ‘roadshow' to explain his actions and decision to supporters , Zaid's statement could almost be read as a recruitment call.

Meanwhile, another race to watch would be  the one for the four vice-president's posts, where Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar (4,854 votes) currently leading the pack.

Trailing her is party strategic director Tian Chua (3,933), Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman (3,552) and Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh (3,370).

The polls to decide PKR top leaders in the party's first-ever direct elections is being conducted over four weekends until Nov 21.