PKR polls: We have ‘Plan A, B and C’ if GE held early - Saifuddin

 

PKR, which has set the party's election in May, has other plans if the Parliament is dissolved earlier for the general election.

Secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (above) said that the party will make a new ruling on the PKR election.

“The party, when deciding to hold elections in May, took into account everything, including the early dissolution of Parliament.

“When making the decision to hold the election in May, we already had plans A, B and C. When that situation changes, we will change (plans).

“If the GE is held in the near future, the party will return to its central leadership council and make a new decision, whether to continue the election or postpone, because the party has a time frame in May next year," he told a press conference after officiating the PKR branch's annual general meeting.

He said this when asked what the party's stance was if Parliament was dissolved earlier.

This came after pressure from some Umno leaders to urge Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to hold the GE earlier.

Postponed for 18 months

Saifuddin had previously stressed that the party could not postpone its election until after the next general election because its president Anwar Ibrahim needed a deputy.

He said PKR currently does not have a deputy president while only three of the seven vice-presidents were currently active.

At the last PKR congress, the party agreed to postpone the election for 18 months.

"The decision to hold party election in May was after the party used an 18-month postponement clause, which will expire next May. The three-year term ended in November last year.

"The 18-month period ends in May 2023, but the party's constitution does not say that election cannot be held during that period,” Saifuddin added.

The Ismail Sabri government has until June 2023 to dissolve Parliament before holding GE15. - Mkini