00:00PAS is likely to hold a contest for the party's top two posts for the first time in a decade at its elections later this year.
00:09A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said a contest for the presidency and the deputy presidency would be held if Abdul Hadi Awang, who has been the party's president since 2002, decides not to defend the posts.
00:24The source said that some in the party are urging the Marang MP to step down after being admitted to the National Heart Institute for treatment several times in recent years, though the nature of his illness was not disclosed.
00:38According to the source, there has been talk that PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man would also be stepping aside, although the pro-ulama faction are pushing for him to remain the party's number two, a post he won in 2015.
00:53The source said if Hadi decides not to defend his posts, it is likely that the party's vice presidents Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and Ammar Abdullah will vie for the presidency, making it a close contest.
01:06Hisomuddin Bakar, the executive director of Ilham Centre Think Tank, felt that those who would stand a chance of winning top leadership posts in the party were those who were part of the PAS-led state governments of Kelantan, Cengganu, Kedah and Perlis.
01:20Similarly, Hisomuddin felt that while the contest for the top two would be intense, it would not lead to the creation of another splinter party.
