![[UPDATED] Unofficial: Nurul Izzah defeats Rafizi in race for PKR deputy presidency](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FBHizaRR2_1747999705.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
[UPDATED] Unofficial: Nurul Izzah defeats Rafizi in race for PKR deputy presidency
Unofficial results at press time have placed Nurul Izzah ahead of Rafizi, the incumbent, by a significant margin.
Meanwhile, unofficial results also indicated that Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, and Chang Lih Kang succeeded in their bid for a vice-president's post.
Amirudin and Aminuddin are the Selangor and Negri Sembilan menteris besar, respectively.
Chang is Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, while Ramanan is Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister.
The heated battle for the PKR deputy president's post saw both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi launch their "Damai" and "Hiruk" campaigns.
Through a series of "Hiruk" roadshows, Rafizi spoke about the need to continue the Reformasi struggles and the importance of the party staying true to its roots.
The "Hiruk" - a Malay word meaning noise and commotion - saw Rafizi and other leaders aligned with him take to the stage for a series of ceramah.
However, in his Hiruk programme on Thursday night, he appeared to have conceded defeat, telling the crowd that he
would "have a heart attack" if he won.
He had also claimed that his time in PKR since 1999 had taught him to "read the signs", which he claimed had pointed to his loss.
Rafizi also claimed that despite having strong grassroots support, he would face a "problematic system" which had led to upsets during PKR's divisional elections.
The divisional polls saw surprise losses for senior leaders viewed as aligned with Rafizi.
Nurul Izzah's "Damai" campaign meanwhile, took a more conciliatory tone.
In her speeches, the former Permatang Pauh member of parliament spoke about ensuring unity and inclusiveness in the party.
Even before PKR took to the polls today, 200 out of the 222 PKR divisions had voiced support for Nurul Izzah's bid.
Her announcement that she would contest the post came after numerous divisions and national PKR leaders called for her to do so.
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