Rafizi, currently a vice-president of the party, has announced that he is vying for the deputy president’s post, currently held by Azmin.

Azmin has not said whether he would defend his position, but chances are he won’t back down, if only to avoid disappointing the large faction he leads.

Sources close to Rafizi say he has a team of nearly 60 people who will contest for various positions in the central leadership as well as the Youth and Women’s wings.

One of the sources, who currently holds a leadership position in the party, said Rafizi would announce his line-up within the next two weeks.

Noting that Azmin is a Cabinet member, he said a fight between him and Rafizi would be “a battle between someone in power and someone not in power” and the latter would be depending on “support from the ground”.

He said he was supporting Rafizi because “he is the one who has been doing all the ground work” for PKR.

A PKR leader who supports Azmin described him as a “charismatic” person with a “proven track record” of leadership. He cited Azmin’s performance as the Selangor menteri besar and his conduct in the current session of Parliament.

Azmin has indicated that he will soon announce whether he will be contesting for any position. He told FMT he would do it before Aug 5, when the nomination process starts.

He said he was now too preoccupied with his parliamentary duties.

There has been some speculation that he would vie for the party president’s post against Anwar Ibrahim.

Tian Chua, another PKR vice-president, said he supported every party member’s right to contest for leadership positions but added that he would advise the contestants to be mindful of what they say in their campaigns because “the public is watching” them.

He said they must show that their differences could not break their unity as members of PKR.