KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Gerakan vice president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai today announced that he will going for the president’s post in the party’s elections on November 17.

He said that he was doing so now that Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong had announced that he would not be defending his post.

"After Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong’s announcement, I received a lot of calls from party veterans, members and non-governmental organisations to take over as president. I wish to contribute and thus am offering myself for the president’s post,” he told a press conference here.

Prior to this, Mah was reported as saying that all 23 posts in the party’s top leadership council is up for grabs and this includes the posts of president, deputy president and senior vice president.

Gerakan, which was a component party of Barisan Nasional until the 14th general election (GE14), has about 300,000 members.  Barisan Nasional lost in GE14 on May 9 after being in power for six decades. Gerakan did not win a single seat in GE14

Nomination is on November 10. — Bernama