If they want her husband to lead instead, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is willing to step down.

And if party members vote overwhelmingly for Anwar Ibrahim to lead PKR at its May congress, the party president said she would gladly hold an honorary post instead.

"This is not a contest between husband and wife," she told reporters yesterday who quizzed her on the party's preparations for the general election.

"In this nominations, if members want Anwar as president, I don't have any reservations. I would willingly release my post," she said.

"I think the party has decided that it is still early, but I will hold an honorary post," she told reporters after receiving Taiwanese opposition politician Shih Ming-te at the party's headquarters in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Asked on the party's readiness to head off the elections, Wan Azizah, a second term parliamentarian from Permatang Pauh said PKR has been "prepared for some time."

"Chances are very good for us but we want a clean, transparent and fair election. The EC (Election Commission) must do and perform its role it was set up for" she said.

Though she did not reveal where she, or Anwar, would contest, she is prepared to defend Permatang Pauh if need be: "We have an affinity and bond with the people there."

"As for when the general election will be held, it's anybody's guess. Only God and the prime minister knows," she added.

'Joyful complexion'

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah said she was happy to see Shih again. Both figures met at an international forum on democracy in Poland in 2001.

Late last year, Shih had lead a rally of hundreds of thousands, demanding the resignation of Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian.

"I am overwhelmed and am happy to see Mr Shih. And now he has a pretty wife," she beamed, as she posed with the couple.

Earlier, Shih had described the party president as having a "joyful complexion" since they last met.

"She has changed. She used to have this dark frown over her. But now it has lifted, and she has a more joyful complexion," he told reporters in Mandarin.

Wan Azizah later said that Warsaw was where she learnt that "he (Shih) himself was also imprisoned and tortured, like Anwar."

"He showed me kindness, hope and strength," she said, before presenting Shih a copy of 'Sham Democracy', a PKR report on Malaysian elections.

Watch the two-minute video here.