Nurul Izzah Anwar requested to resign as deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) on August 6, 2026, but the party rejected her resignation and instead granted her temporary leave starting after the 2026 National Congress until further notice [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will temporarily carry out her duties during the leave [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Nurul Izzah, the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, won the PKR deputy presidency in May 2025 by defeating former deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli with 9,803 votes to 3,866 [1, 3, 4]. She said she decided to step down to focus on her studies and commitments outside politics, but will remain a PKR member [6, 7, 8].
Before her leave begins, she is scheduled to officiate the PKR Women's and Youth Congresses on August 14, 2026 [1, 3, 4, 5].
PKR vice-president Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari will now fully assume the role of party election director, a position he previously shared with Saifuddin Nasution [1, 3, 8, 4, 5].
PKR information chief Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said, "After considering the views of Nurul Izzah and party leaders, the MPP agreed to grant Nurul Izzah temporary leave starting after the 2026 National Congress until a date that will be announced later" [1].
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said he respects her decision and that she remains active in the party. "She has programmes outside. That's okay, we accept it in good faith. But she is still active in the party," he said [7]. Amirudin Shari added, "Over the past two to three months, there was nothing (indicating this). ... Perhaps there were pressing matters that she needed to attend to and decisions that she felt needed to be made. We respect that" [8].
However, Nurul Izzah's resignation request and temporary leave highlight internal strains and leadership challenges within PKR. The party suffered heavy losses in recent elections in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, and Sabah, dwindling its seats in those states from 19 to 3 [1, 9, 3, 10, 11]. PKR Treasurer-General William Leong commented, "There has been unhappiness, but it has now been translated into votes — or rather, no votes. It is time for members to get the party to reflect on the shortcomings" [10]. Pas deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said, "When a deputy president resigns, it will certainly have an impact on the party. ... We believe there is internal turmoil in PKR. What we are seeing began with protests from within the party itself" [6].
Nurul Izzah’s temporary leave comes as PKR registers 3,533 new online members from July 12 to August 2026, signalling ongoing grassroots activity within the party [3, 5].
Her leave officially begins after her scheduled role at the PKR Women’s and Youth Congresses on August 14, 2026 [1, 3, 4, 5].
