PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu will lead the PAS Permatang Pauh machinery while PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man will lead party’s Rompin by-election team.

Asked if PAS will support PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for Permatang Pauh, Mohamad said: "We will help whoever is nominated (from Pakatan Rakyat)."

PAS’ cooperation with Pakatan partners for the by-election will indicate whether it can survive as a tripartite after DAP cut ties with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang over PAS’ hudud ambitions.

The Permatang Pauh by-election on May 7 was triggered after the seat was declared vacant earlier this month.

This came after the Pardons Board dismissed a pardon application by incumbent PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's family. Anwar is serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomy.

No candidate has been nominated from Pakatan parties for the by-election, but all eyes are on Wan Azizah who is also Anwar's wife.

She held the seat when Anwar was in jail for the first sodomy charge from 1999 to 2008, and resigned to make way for Anwar after he served out his sentence and disqualification period.

The Rompin seat fell vacant upon the death of incumbent Jamaluddin Jarjis, who died in a helicopter crash in Semenyih this month.

Anwar and Jamaluddin had respectively trounced their opponents in the 13th general election.

An Umno candidate had then represented BN in Permatang Pauh while PAS contested Rompin.

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