SHAH ALAM, June 3 — Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abd Aziz was first to the finish line today in the race for the post of PAS Youth chief, beating incumbent Suhaizan Kaiat in the contest.

It was a landslide victory for Nik Abduh, the son of the late PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and a known leader in the Islamist party’s conservative faction, having scored 429 votes to Suhaizan’s 263 votes.

Nik Abduh, also the Pasir Mas MP, had previously served as deputy chief of PAS Youth between 2011 and 2013 under then chief Nasruddin Hassan.

The two were then elected into the party’s central working committee during the 2013 party polls.

In total, 695 ballots were issued for the PAS Youth wing contest, with two unreturned. Meanwhile, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's son Khalil Abdul Hadi won the deputy PAS Youth chief post, taking down Raja Ahmad Iskandar Raja Yaacob, who is from Suhaizan's team.

Kamal Ashaari and Dr Riduan Mohd Noor were retained in their current permanent chairman and deputy permanent chairman positions.

The clergy faction in PAS has also taken over the new PAS Youth wing leadership, a clear sign that the Islamist party still feels secure being a conservative party, despite being allies with the more liberal Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ally, DAP and PKR.

At the clergy wing muktamar earlier, it was a complete walkover for the conservatives, with all posts up for grabs in the PAS clergy wing’s elections won uncontested.

Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamad is now the wing’s chief after having held the post in interim since the death of the previous ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib in January 2014.

Twelve members were also elected into the wing’s working committee without contest, including former information chief and Kuala Nerus MP Datuk Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali, Temerloh MP Nasruddin Hasan, and former assistant secretaries Wan Ahmad Rasyidi Wan Othman and Nazmi Nik Din.