MUHYIDDIN Yassin will face challenges from Mukhriz Mahathir and another party member for the Bersatu presidency

Party elections committee chairman Syed Hamid Albar confirmed this today at a press conference at Bersatu headquarters in Petaling Jaya.

Muhyiddin is the incumbent president and Mukhriz, his deputy. The third person in the contest for the post is Mohd Faiz Azlee Sham.

There will also be a three-cornered fight for the deputy’s post between outgoing secretary-general Marzuki Yahya, Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and Anas Akashah Nazri.

Dr Mahathir returned unopposed today as the party chairman.

He had vowed to stay on and fight to save the party from those willing to work with “kleptocratic Umno leaders”, a clear reference to Muhyiddin.

Dr Mahathir resigned as Bersatu chairman on February 24, the same day he stepped down as prime minister.

However the party’s supreme council rejected his resignation of the chair only to change its mind days later after Dr Mahathir failed to support Muhyiddin’s candidacy for the PM’s office.

Muhyiddin, with the support of Umno and PAS, went on to win the appointment and form the new government.

Dr Mahathir, meanwhile, continued to question Muhyiddin’s decision to work with corrupt Umno leaders.

A handful of Bersatu leaders such as Bersatu youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Mukhriz and Marzuki have backed Dr Mahathir.