The annual PKR congress this weekend may be the most fiery yet, hot on the heels of the most exciting (and possibly divisive) elections the party has seen.

In the seventh installment since the party's merger with Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 2003, the spotlight will undoubtedly be on the party election.

NONE The party will no doubt be in recovery mode after the long and exhaustive party polls which stretched from August.

But more importantly, with vice-president Azmin Ali's ( right ) rise to party number two pretty much sealed, delegates and party members are now expected to close ranks and move on.

Party strategic director Tian Chua said that it was more likely that the party delegates will focus on consolidation and a return to its original agenda.

But whether any of the 2,460 delegates expected to attend the congress will engage in fiery verbal jousting against the elusive ‘trojan horses' and ‘party traitors' often brought up by the likes of Azmin and de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, Chua said that the politicking will be long over by the time of the congress.

"Politics will usually happen before the congress. So by the time we meet, the politics are over and we will have to face reality," he said, adding that he expects a certain level of maturity from the delegates.

He also said that, as usual, PKR's mood will be optimistic during the event to be held in the Petaling Jaya Civic Centre.

"In fact, some have also told us that we're too optimistic," said the party veteran.

‘Azmin will still get whacked'

Still, it is expected that several pockets of his hardcore supporters among the leadership as well as the delegates will deliver barrages fand not-so-thinly-veiled threats at the two biggest personalities from the party elections - Azmin and former PKR Federal Territories chief Zaid Ibrahim.

NONE Although the path is now clear for Azmin to flex his muscles at the congress, the contest to get to where he is now with a majority of more than 15,000 votes according to unofficial count, was not completely smooth sailing.

Indeed the brickbats just kept on coming even after Zaid ( left ) announced his withdrawal from the deputy president contest and called on Azmin to step down from leadership.

But those expected to fire potshots at Azmin during the congress are not to be misunderstood as Zaid loyalists.

"It's not that they are pro-Zaid. There are actually a lot of people among the delegates who don't like Azmin. I think Azmin will also get whacked," said a party insider.

However, he said that the delegates will definitely be briefed before  debates start.

"Of course they will be told not to focus on personalities, and to look at the big picture. But if the delegates suddenly want to hit out on certain leaders, there's also nothing to stop them. I'm sure some people will rib Azmin," he said.

Irregularities to be raised

The party election, although a landmark in the Malaysian political landscape by being the first party to hold direct elections, was mired in allegations of fraud and irregularities.

zaid ibrahim pc 091110 mustaffa kamil ayub Although spearheading the accusations is Zaid, a relative newbie to the party, echoing him are party heavyweights such as Youth Chief candidate Badrul Hisham Shaharin (aka Chegubard) and deputy president candidate Mustaffa Kamil Ayub ( right ).

Wielding tremendous influence, it is likely that the two will be marking their displeasure with how the polls were conducted either through a proxy debater or by themselves in their speeches.

However, all eyes and ears will be on Anwar's daughter and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah as it is understood that she is scheduled to be one of the debaters.

It is still unsure what resolution she will be debating on, but she is likely to betray a hint of her stubborn feistiness in wanting to step out of her father's shadows.

selambau pkr pc 040409 saifuddin nasution Having already made an appearance in a closed-door Youth function with Badrul Hisham where she is said to have spoken about the party elections irregularities, it is also understood that many in the Youth wing are putting their hopes on her to raise the issue in the debates as well.

However, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail ( left ) is expected to only gloss through the complaints in his address, and reiterate that the elections committee doesn't have enough evidence to support the claims.

With him expected to give a detailed analysis of the results on the final day of the congress on Sunday, the party will then have no choice but to move on after that, whatever the outcome may be.