The ' chai ' culture which has been introduced to the PAS leadership election has damaged the party's image, said Ahmad Awang.

Ahmad, who was trounced by incumbent Abdul Hadi Awang in the contest for the party presidency, said the practice of distributing candidates list according to tickets, was inherently undemocratic.

"Due to the ' chai ' culture, I feel that those who won - from the president to the very bottom - scored a pyrrhic victory.

"(Their victory) was based on an unhealthy practice which was undemocratic and against syariat (Islamic practices) because of the slander that was involved," he told reporters at the muktamar taking place in Kuala Selangor.

The term ' chai ' originates from the Chinese term " cai tan (restaurant menu)" which lists out candidates who are on the same ticket or have the same allegiances.

This practice first gained prominence in the MCA internal elections but is increasingly seen in Umno, DAP and PKR elections.

Earlier today, a photograph of an unnamed PAS candidate referring to a ' chai ' when filling up his ballot paper was heavily circulated on Facebook .

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Similar to what several delegates told Malaysiakini earlier today, Ahmad said this was the first time that this practice is seen in PAS, adding that it has distorted the decision making process of some delegates.

"The ' chai ' culture was a big influence. For example, the Muslimat wing head who was hardworking was defeated by someone who is unheard of," he said.

During the muslimat election last night, Nuridah Mohd Salleh edged out incumbent Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff.

On the impact of the election results, Ahmad said since Abdul Hadi's policy speech had said that the party must be based on Islamic teachings, thus he must now do the Islamic thing and unite the party.

"We will see if he walks the talk. The victor must now unite the party. (However,) I predict that the so-called anti-ulama group would be marginalised," he said.