Azizah is Pakatan's sole MB nominee, Anwar declares Selangor crisis OVER

UPDATED KUALA LUMPUR - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has declared the Selangor crisis over after the Pakatan Rakyat closed ranks, agreeing to nominate PKR president Wan Azizah as the sole candidate to replace Khalid Ibrahim as new chief minister or Menteri Besar of the country's richest state.

"Yes, the crisis is over," Anwar, who was swamped by pressmen, as he made his way out of the conference hall where top Pakatan leaders including DAP sec-gen Lim Guan Eng, adviser Lim Kit Siang, PAS deputy president Mat Sabu and sec-gen Mustafa Ali had gathered to brief the media.

PAS hardliners snubbed

At a closed door meeting held before the presser, the Pakatan presidential council had decided to nominate only Azizah although PAS had earlier this morning expressed a wish to include PKR deputy president Azmin Ali as a second candidate.

The move, while expected by many political insiders, had almost thrown a spanner in the works and could have prolonged the Selangor crisis as the choice of MB laid with PKR and PKR leaders had been insistent on Azizah as the new MB and no one else.

At the presser, Azmin was quick to declare his support for his party boss but speculation remains rampant the Sultan could turn down Azizah and pick Azmin instead.

Prerogative?

"I don't want to pre-empt that. It is the Sultan's prerogative," PAS sec-gen Mustafa Ali told Malaysia Chronicle when asked on the matter.

Nonetheless, some legal eagles have said that the Sultan could only turn down if he was unsure of the strength of support for Azizah and in this case, the Pakatan was unanimous in its choice and submitting only one name.

Meanwhile, Pakatan leaders plan to submit their request for Azizah to be made the new MB to the Palace tomorrow.

"We will try to do it as soon as possible ... tomorrow," said Anwar. - Malaysia Chronicle