![[UPDATED] Postponed leadership poll nominations unrelated to Rafizi, says PKR's Zaliha](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2Flogo-nst-ogimage.png&w=3840&q=100)
[UPDATED] Postponed leadership poll nominations unrelated to Rafizi, says PKR's Zaliha
KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has dismissed any suggestion that its decision to postpone nominations for the central leadership elections is linked to Economy Minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli taking leave.
PKR Party Election Committee chairperson Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the delay was solely due to ongoing preparations for the party's national congress in May.
"Of course, it has nothing to do (with the Economy Minister taking leave).
"As the prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) said, taking leave is a normal thing for anyone," she said.
She made these remarks during a press conference after officiating the Residensi Kecapi in Sentul earlier today.
Dr Zaliha, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), said the party needed more time to make final preparations in light of recent amendments to the party constitution.
"We are in the process of refining preparations for the upcoming congress in May. With the new constitutional amendments, there are additional requirements that we need to meet.
"For example, the delegates' list and other related matters. The new system now considers the percentage of votes secured by each candidate, be it for the AMK chief, the women's chief, or others.
"So we need more time to ensure everything is in order, and we are working closely with the office of the secretary-general."
Commenting on party members' reaction to the postponement, Dr Zaliha said it had been well received.
"It was a decision by the central committee, so it is well accepted by the members," she said.
Yesterday, Dr Zaliha, in a statement, announced that the central-level party election nominations, originally scheduled for today and Sunday, had been moved to next Thursday and Friday.
"The committee has decided to postpone the central-level nomination process for the 2025 party elections, which was initially scheduled for May 3 and 4. (tomorrow and Sunday).
"The new dates for the central-level nominations will be from midnight on May 8 to 11.59pm on May 9, 2025," she said in the statement.
She added that the process would be conducted entirely online.
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