Tuan Ibrahim said PAS had no shortage of candidates for the top post but “past experience” had taught the party not to make such announcements so early.

He reiterated that PAS’s focus was on winning the polls first and allowing Perikatan Nasional to come to a consensus on the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate.

“Actually, we have no lack of leaders. God-willing, we are capable of leading (the country).

“But we must remember, in the context of Malaysian politics, our past experience has shown that when we announce (our prime ministerial candidate), he will be the target of our rivals,” he said at the PAS muktamar here.

Tuan Ibrahim was referring to when PAS announced its former leader Ashaari Muhammad as its prime ministerial candidate in the 1970s, before he went on to form the Al-Arqam movement, which was later banned.

A week ago, PAS’s PN ally Bersatu unanimously nominated its party president Muhyiddin Yassin as its prime ministerial candidate for GE16.

Yesterday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the Islamic party wanted PN’s prime ministerial candidate to be a leader who was healthy and under 70 years old.

This appeared to be a rejection of Muhyiddin, the PN chairman, who is 78.