KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Former ministers Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad have submitted their resignation letters to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, formally vacating the Pandan and Setiawangsa parliamentary seats respectively as they move to pursue a new political platform.
In a joint statement on Monday, the two former PKR leaders said they had informed the Speaker of their decision to resign as members of Parliament and return the mandate to voters after deciding to “explore a new political agenda”.
“The right and honourable step is to return the mandate to the voters in Pandan and Setiawangsa, considering that we were elected under the Pakatan Harapan ticket in the last general election,” they said.
They also confirmed that they would contest again in the two constituencies under the Parti Bersama Malaysia platform in the coming election.
Rafizi, in his resignation letter sighted by The Edge, said he was voluntarily resigning as Pandan MP effective immediately in accordance with constitutional requirements.
Nik Nazmi similarly stated in his resignation letter that he was formally stepping down as Setiawangsa MP effective Monday.
The resignations came a day after Rafizi and Nik Nazmi announced they had taken over Penang-based Parti Bersama Malaysia and planned to resign as MPs and from PKR.
The two stepped down from the Cabinet, with Rafizi resigning as economy minister and Nik Nazmi leaving his role as natural resources and environmental sustainability minister, following the 2025 PKR elections, in which Rafizi lost the deputy presidency to Nurul Izzah Anwar and Nik Nazmi failed to defend his vice-president post.
Since then, both leaders have been vocal critics of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration and the direction of PKR.
Speaking at the launch of Bersama on Sunday, Rafizi said the party intended to offer “good candidates from the new generation” in future elections, regardless of which party currently held the seats.
Nik Nazmi, meanwhile, said the party aimed to prove that “progressive, courageous and principled politics still has a place in Malaysia”.