GE14 | Ending months of speculation, PKR has finally announced that it will be fielding its communications chief Fahmi Fadzil in the 14th general election.

However, it stopped short of confirming if Fahmi will replace incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar in the parliamentary constituency of Lembah Pantai, as he has been widely tipped to do.

PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail made the announcement at an event to unveil the first phase of the party’s youth candidates last night.

Along with Fahmi, she announced three other candidates, but similarly kept mum on where they will be fielded.

At a press conference after the event, Wan Azizah said further announcements regarding their constituencies will be made after Parliament is dissolved, which is likely to happen this Friday.

“Of course we have (constituencies in mind), but we have yet to finalise them. This is still under discussion, and there are one or two more things that need fine-tuning.

“We are yet to be able to announce this information,” she said at the party’s Setiawangsa service centre in KL, adding that more youth candidates will be revealed in subsequent announcements.

These young candidates, Wan Azizah added, are testament to how the opposition is not devoid of young talent as purported by critics.

“We have been attacked with comments that all our leaders are old, so we want to show that we have young leaders and pelapis (the next generation) who can inherit the struggle,” she added.

Comments on the age of Pakatan Harapan’s leaders have mostly centred on their 93-year-old chairperson, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Speculation surrounding the 37-year-old Fahmi began after the PKR Lembah Pantai Youth chief was observed holding many events in the area, without Nurul Izzah.

Nurul Izzah has been widely touted for a move to Pandan, where its incumbent MP Rafizi Ramli is likely to be ruled out of GE14 in view of several pending court cases.

The speculated shift comes amid uproar at the inclusion of federal police headquarters Bukit Aman – amounting to almost 7,000 police voters – into Lembah Pantai after the recent redelineation exercise.

Three other candidates announced

The three other candidates announced on the night were National Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Sabah Youth chief Raymond Ahuar and Perak Youth deputy chief Sandrea Ng Shy Ching.

Nik Nazmi, 36, is presently Seri Setia assemblyperson, and is predicted to be fielded in the Setiawangsa parliamentary seat.

Raymond, 33, previously contested for the Sabah state seat of Nabawan and lost by a razor thin 342-vote margin.

Insiders told Malaysiakini that Ng, 37, could be standing in the Perak state seat of Teja, in view of incumbent Chang Lih Kang’s possible move to the parliamentary seat of Tanjung Malim.

GE14 will be Fahmi and Ng’s first time entering the polls.