PKR will reject any proposals to nominate Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister, said the party in a statement today.
“We remain with the consensus that Pakatan Harapan nominates Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister,” said the PKR central leadership committee after its meeting today.
PKR, however, said it was open to discussing with all parties, including Dr Mahathir, on how to save the country.
The party released its statement after holding a special online meeting with PKR MPs this morning.
They also said the DAP and Amanah had been consistent in their support for Anwar as prime minister and that a problem only arose when Mahathir said that he should be given a third term.
PKR is currently in a tussle with its PH allies, DAP and Amanah, who have decided to nominate Dr Mahathir as the coalition’s prime minister candidate to face Perikatan Nasional in fresh elections, or if they have sufficient numbers to replace PN at federal level.
On Wednesday, DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said in an interview that his party, Amanah and Warisan Sabah had decided to nominate the 94-year-old again.
PKR has made it clear that it does not trust Mahathir to fulfil his promise to resign in six months after becoming prime minister, but Loke assured that there would be mechanisms in place to make sure this happens.
“PKR is committed to strengthening PH and will focus on preparing for snap elections,” said the party.
PKR MPP held its emergency meeting this morning after being pushed by their allies to make a decision to nominate the prime minister candidate for the Opposition to challenge the parliamentary majority of the Perikatan Nasional government who took power in February.
Yesterday, PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that, in its discussions with Dr Mahathir’s Bersatu faction and Parti Warisan Sabah, the party never officially nominated the elder statesman as its prime ministerial candidate.
Instead, Saifuddin, who is also PKR secretary-general, said that in its seven meetings since May 30, the coalition has been consistent in nominating Anwar as its main candidate to lead the “restoration of the people’s mandate” discussion with their allies.