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By election in Kuala Terengganu - Pakatan agrees - malaysiakini

Malaysiakini's report:

Pakatan Rakyat has agreed to field a PAS candidate to contest the upcoming Kuala Terangganu by-election following the death of the constituency's BN parliamentarian Razali Ismail on Nov 28.

MCPX

PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa told reporters at the Parliament lobby today that the decision was made after discussions with DAP and PKR leaders.

pas dialogue with media 261107 nasharudinHowever, Nasharuddin declined to state who the candidate might be.

"That will be decided by the PAS members in the constituency," he said.

"To determine the candidate, we will undergo the normal procedure by accepting suggestions from the area which will then be brought to the state level and finally to the central committee.

"Hopefully we will be able to determine the candidate for the by-election at the central committee meeting on Dec 21," he said during the press conference.

Asked whether PAS would again field Mohamad Sabu for the parliamentary seat, Nasaruddin said it would depend on the party grassroots' wish.

Nasharuddin also said that it was unlikely for the Election Commission to organise the by-election any time soon as the constituency was currently facing flood problems. The year-end public holidays are around the same time, he said.

Deputy education minister Razali, who died of heart attack while playing badminton in Genting Highlands last Friday, was a two-term Kuala Terengganu parliamentarian for Umno.

He defeated PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu and 89-year-old Maimun Yusuf in the March 8 general election, winning with a slim majority of 628 by bagging 32,562 votes against Mohamad's 31,934 and Independent candidate Maimun's 685.

Notice sent to Election Commission

Nasharuddin, also the Bachok MP, said that the Terengganu PAS committee meeting was expected tomorrow where they would consider the names of candidates picked by the branches in the constituency.

Asked if he was confident of PAS winning the by-election Nasharuddin said: "We enter (the contest) to win and the BN candidate's majority at the 12th general election was not so big".

kuala terengganu parliamnetary seat 291108A check with the Parliament speaker's office also revealed that the notice of the parliamentary vacancy was sent to the Election Commission today.

Deputy speaker Wan Junaidi Jaafar informed reporters that the letter had been sent this afternoon and added that the EC now has 60 days from today to set the date for the by-election.

The EC will be meeting this Friday to decide on the nomination and polling dates.

Meanwhile Bernama reported that Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim), a PAS splinter party, has planned to contest the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency.

Its president Hanafi Mamat said the party was confident getting the support of the Malays, especially the Muslim missionaries, in Kuala Terengganu.

He told Bernama that Akim was not disheartened by its defeat in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election in August where he lost to PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim, who also beat BN candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah.

Hanafi said Akim would probably be fielding a local in the by-election. Akim which was formed in 1995, claims to have about 10,000 members nationwide.

Umno is once again expected to field its candidate for the seat. The state party will be meeting tomorrow to decide on the candidate.

PM confident of victory

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also the BN chairperson, said that he had not finalised the candidate yet as he was waiting for list of names from the state Umno leadership.

The premier also said that he was not sure if BN was getting increasing support from the people in facing the by-election.

"In some places, we are doing better while in some places we are not that good," he said.

However he was confident of retaining the seat.

"We have won this place and I don't see why we cannot win it again," he told reporters during his one-day visit to Terengganu - malaysiakini.com

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