Malaysia GE: Selangor chief minister and predecessor Azmin Ali may vie for same seat

A major battle between two former political friends is shaping up in a Selangor parliamentary seat, involving the state’s chief minister and Malaysia’s incumbent international trade minister.

The Gombak ward has been held by International Minister Azmin Ali, 58, for the last three terms. But he is likely to contest against Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, 42, in the Nov 19 polls, in a battle that neither man could afford to lose.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is also president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), hinted on Wednesday that he is likely to send Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari to contest in Gombak.

Azmin won the Gombak seat in 2008 as a PKR candidate. He became Anwar’s deputy in PKR and rose to the post of Selangor Menteri Besar in 2014, before making way for Amirudin when he was appointed the Economic Affairs Minister following opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) victory in the 2018 general election.

Azmin was seen as a key actor during the 2020 Sheraton Move, when he led a faction of PKR leaders to form a new coalition government with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). This led to the collapse of the PH government under then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Amirudin stayed with PKR during the episode, while Mr Azmin went on to helm the International Trade and Industry Ministry in former premier Muhyiddin Yassin’s government. He managed to retain his post when Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob took over as PM.

Agencies