Nurul Izzah, daughter of M'sia PM Anwar Ibrahim, elected as his deputy in PKR

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's eldest daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, has been elected as Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) deputy president on Mar. 24.

This makes her second to her father Anwar in the party leadership, with implications for the succession of the party and Anwar himself.

Battle for PKR's future

The PKR is the lynchpin party of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, which partners with the Barisan Nasional coalition to form the government of Malaysia.

Anwar has held the position of PKR president since 2018. He also ran uncontested for the 2025 to 2028 session.

However, according to the party constitution, this term will be his last, although he remains the chairman of the PH coalition.

On Mar. 24, it was announced that Nurul Izzah had won the party's number two post in a straight contest against incumbent deputy president and economic minister, Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi previously won the election twice and was in the midst of his second term.

Both are established party activists and politicians, and are among Anwar's closest advisers.

In the PKR elections, Nurul Izzah won with 9,803 votes against Rafizi's 3,866, New Straits Times reported.

Prior to the polls, 200 out of the 222 PKR divisions had voiced support for Nurul Izzah.

Following her victory, Nurul Izzah told Malaysian media that she would focus on the integration of all efforts within the party.

“Secondly, I want to implement internal reforms and move towards the next general election," she said, as quoted by The Star.

Malaysia's next general election is due in 2028.

Accusations of nepotism

Nurul Izzah’s bid had been followed by accusations of nepotism, given her relationship with Anwar.

But as The Star reported earlier in May, Nurul Izzah is aware of the accusations and somewhat resigned to them, having encountered such allegations on numerous occasions.

In 2023, she stepped away from politics after Anwar faced fierce criticism for appointing her as an adviser.

She was subsequently appointed as a vice president within the party.

The Vibes quoted her as dismissing nepotism allegations, saying that while she is close to and respectful of her father, she maintains her own political stances.

Top image from Nurul Izzah Anwar's Facebook & Instagram