KUALA LUMPUR: Actor-comedian Afdlin Shauki defeated Setiawangsa PKR chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad in the divisional elections on Saturday to secure the chairman post after garnering 631 votes to 563 votes.
As reported by FMT, Afdlin became a PKR member in 2021 and contested the same post in 2022 but was defeated by Nik Nazmi, a two term MP for Setiawangsa, party vice president and federal minister.
Afdlin who is also renowned as a film director defeated Nik Nazmi who is the current Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability after he tried twice to secure the position.
Meanwhile in Bukit Bintang division, another vice president K Saraswathy, a federal deputy minister also lost in a five way race.
In the five cornered fight, Anwar Pawan Chik won with 807 votes, Saraswathy (683), G. Sivamalar (664), C.Kishore Kumar (32) and Loh Ker Chean received no votes as he withdrew from the contest for health reasons.
In the Batu division, incumbent division chief and Batu MP P. Prabakaran was defeated by a lawyer and former student activist Asheeq Ali who obtained 946 votes to Prabakaran’s 793.
In Wangsa Maju, incumbent Lai Chen Heng held on to his position with 587 votes by defeating Wangsa Maju MP Datuk Zahir Hassan (495 votes), and Abdullah Talib (221 votes). The division was earlier embroiled in allegations of financial irregularities prior to the vote.
However Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil who is also PKR’s information chief and Datuk Azman Abidin, political secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim retained their respective division chief posts in Lembah Pantai and Bandar Tun Razak unopposed.
