Who is he?
Mukhriz Mahathir, 49, is the chief minister of Kedah State in northwestern Malaysia, and the youngest son of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. The former deputy minister of International Trade and Industry is one of the six candidates running for the three vice president positions in the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party within Malaysia’s ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.
Mukhriz Mahathir (left) with father Mahathir Mohamad (center), Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981-2003. Photo from M Afif’s Flickr photo stream, used under creative commons license.
Why is he in the news?
Ahead of the UMNO party elections on October 19, the focus is on the race for the three vice president positions, as the top two posts of president and deputy president will not be contested. Mukhriz is seen as a fresh face, especially among younger delegates. The three sitting vice presidents — Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Hussein, and Shafie Apdal — are defending their positions, with the latter two seemingly having trouble securing support inside the party.
What can we expect from him?
Mukhriz is the most prominent candidate to run for a vice president seat, not least because voting against him would be interpreted as going against Mahathir himself. The former prime minister still carries a lot of influence in UMNO, and has been an outspoken critic of the current administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
If Mukhriz wins, he could emerge as a leading figure of the anti-Najib faction within the party. Like his father, Mukhriz is an ardent supporter of bumiputera policies, and his victory could mean further efforts to roll back the reforms launched by Najib, especially at the beginning of his first term.
