KUALA LUMPUR: Umno and Pas are expected to submit names of shortlisted candidates for the Kuala Terengganu by-election to their respective party heads by the end of next week.

Sources said the Umno management committee, chaired by party deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is expected to meet soon to discuss the selection before getting the endorsement from party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Pas Terengganu commissioner Datuk Mustapha Ali met with his liaison committee members yesterday to discuss the early preparations for the by-election following the death of Kuala Terengganu MP and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail last Friday.

The notice of the seat falling vacant was submitted by the Dewan Rakyat speaker to the Election Commission on Tuesday and the by-election must be held within 60 days.

The EC is expected to meet tomorrow to announce the dates for nomination and polling in the event of a contest.
On talks that he was among those considered as potential candidate, Mustapha said: "I don't have anything to say on that.

"It is too early now. Let the party leadership decide on that."

Umno sources said two popular names that were being considered were Kuala Terengganu Umno head and Deputy Home Minister Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and the division's number two Mohd Sabri Alwi, who is also state Umno Youth head.

The others are state Umno information head Datuk Zuber Embong and treasurer Senator Datuk Roslan Awang Chik.

If selected, it would be an election debut for either Wan Ahmad Farid or Sabri. Wan Ahmad Farid was appointed a senator in January 2006 and his first term ends in January.

Zuber lost his fight in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary election in 1990 to Semangat 46 candidate Datuk Abdul Manan Othman while Roslan was the Ladang assemblyman in 1995 before losing in 1999 to Dr Sulaiman Abdullah from Pas.

Abdullah had on Tuesday night, after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting, said that the management committee would submit the names.

He said there was no need for an Umno supreme council meeting to decide on the candidate.

As for Pas, the possible candidates other than Mustapha are said to include Datuk Abdul Wan Muttalib Embong, Mohamad Sabu and Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi, who was the Kuala Terengganu MP from 1999 to 2004.

Wan Muttalib did not seek re-election in the March general election. Syed Azman is now Batu Burok assemblyman while Mohamad Sabu lost to Razali in the March general election.

The Kuala Terengganu seat was won by BN through Datuk Abu Bakar Daud in 1995 when he defeated Semangat 46 candidate but subsequently lost to Pas in 1999.

However, BN made a comeback in the 2004 election through Razali who defeated Syed Azman with a 1,933 majority.

In the March general election, Razali's majority was reduced to 628 against Pas candidate Mohamad Sabu and independent 83-year-old Maimun Yusof.