Rafizi said he was prompted to act on these claims as over 90 objections were lodged nationwide.
He said these included cases where candidates had won divisional chief posts, only for those aligned with them to lose out.
“To manage these issues, I decided to devote my attention to addressing them, including by meeting with and listening directly to candidates from all sides,” he said in a statement.
He said he applied for and was granted leave by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim from April 29 to May 5.
During his leave, Rafizi said he held a series of meetings and presented key concerns to the party’s central leadership council.
“The council subsequently agreed to conduct an independent audit of PKR’s digital voting system to ensure that it was free from interference and technical flaws.
“The findings of this audit, along with input from technical representatives appointed by candidates, provide an important context for the issues that surfaced.”
Rafizi added that the separation of party and ministerial duties was a culture that should be encouraged.
Rafizi’s leave of absence stirred speculation over the past week, although Anwar dismissed it as a non-issue.
Rumours nevertheless persisted that Rafizi had resigned as economy minister following last month’s PKR divisional polls, where several of his allies suffered defeat.
Incumbent divisional leaders were also knocked out as members elected lesser-known figures, leading to complaints of possible irregularities in the party’s e-voting system.
As the same digital system is set to be used in the upcoming central leadership elections, Rafizi urged the party’s central election committee to urgently address the flaws flagged in the audit reports.
“I urge the committee to take immediate action to address the system flaws highlighted in both reports,” he said, noting issues such as OTP delivery, eKYC verification, and source code protection.
“The election committee is responsible for ensuring that the central election process (including the system’s legitimacy and technical capability) runs smoothly to avoid prolonged controversy after it ends.”
Rafizi also revealed that the PKR leadership council had been urged to accept the president’s recommendation to validate the divisional results, despite the unresolved complaints.
“That was in order to allow the party to move forward and proceed with the central leadership elections,” he said.