Nurul Izzah May Not Have Thought Through PKR Deputy Presidency Bid, Says Analyst

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Nurul Izzah Anwar might not have fully considered the consequences of her decision to contest the PKR deputy president post in last year’s party election, according to political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat.

Wong, of Sunway University, said Nurul Izzah’s presence as PKR deputy president appeared to have had limited impact, raising questions over what she had hoped to achieve by taking on the post.

“Yes, her presence as deputy president has not been felt. It appears now that she either did not think through what she aimed to achieve or she was just pushed to take on Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.

“Whatever happened, this is a slap on Anwar’s face,” Wong said in his reply to TRP.

READ MORE: PKR Deputy President Wanted To Leave, PKR Asked Her To Stay, But Both Are Now True

Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Prime Minister and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had defeated then incumbent deputy president Rafizi Ramli in the party’s 2025 leadership election.

Following the lost, Rafizi decided to quit PKR, vacated his Pandan parliamentary seat before taking over a dormant party, rebranding it to Parti Bersama Malaysia (Bersama).

READ MORE: Rafizi, Nik Nazmi Quit Parliament But Eye Bersama ComebackREAD MORE: Outside PKR, Survival Isn’t Guaranteed – Analyst Warns Rafizi’s Bersama

However, she has now decided to step down from her position as PKR deputy president, bringing an unexpected end to her tenure in the party’s No. 2 post.

Wong said Nurul Izzah’s resignation also highlighted what he described as a growing leadership vacuum within PKR, particularly among prominent Malay figures who could challenge or rival leaders from other political camps.

“Nurul’s resignation is a cruel reminder that PKR now has no prominent Malay leader after Anwar—like Rafizi—to rival Perikatan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah, Johari Abdul or KJ,” he said.

Despite the political implications of her resignation, Wong said it would not be the main factor determining whether Malaysia heads towards an early general election.

He said the eventual timing of an early election would depend far more on the political calculations and moves of PKR’s coalition partners, particularly Umno and DAP.

“Decision on early election won’t be primarily decided on Izzah’s resignation. It would be decided by Umno and DAP’s move. Izzah would be a marginal factor at most.”

READ MORE: From Heir Apparent To History Lesson: The List Of Anwar’s Political Breakups

Nurul Izzah, once dubbed as ‘Puteri Reformasi’, said that she wanted to pursue her studies when making the decision to relinquish her PKR deputy president post.

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