PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may pull out of the PKR presidential race against his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Party secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Anwar was consulting his lawyers before making a decision.

The opposition leader’s eligibility to challenge Dr Wan Azizah in the upcoming party polls came under scrutiny after he was sentenced to five years in jail for sodomy by the Court of Appeal on March 7.

“Anwar has said that he would like to take over the party leadership but the (court) verdict has become an obstacle for him.

“He will announce his decision when the time comes,” said Saifuddin.

PKR risks being deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) if Anwar continues to contest for the party presidency.

However, under Section 9(a) of the Societies Act, the RoS may grant a disqualified person exemption from their disqualification, provided an application is submitted.

It is understood that Anwar had submitted his application, but is still awaiting a response.

On a separate note, Saifuddin, who is contesting for the No. 2 post, said his contenders, incumbent deputy president Azmin Ali and Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim also had factions.

“If you follow them closely (on their campaign trail), you can see their followers.

“That is also considered a pact, only I chose to announce it openly,” he said.

– THE STAR