Win by Abdullah's son-in-law shows shift in balance of power from Mahathir's family

He was once the most disparaged young man in Malaysia. But today, 33-year-old Khairy Jamaluddin, son-in-law of outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, is being touted as a future leader after his stunning victory in the race to take the reins of the Umno party's powerful youth wing on Wednesday.

Mr Khairy defeated both Mukhriz Mahathir - the son of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad - and a third contender, powerful former chief minister Mohamad Khir Toyo. The race between Mr Khairy and Mr Mukhriz had been closely watched as an indicator of the shifting power balance between the two feuding families.

Mr Khairy's victory has elevated him to national attention, and he is expected to be made a cabinet minister next month.

'He is the new rising star to watch in Malaysian politics,' said Denison Jayasooria, a political scientist with the National University of Malaysia. 'He is clearly prime minister material and could be one 20 years down the line.'

The victory is all the more sweet for Mr Khairy and his father-in-law because of the strong public backing that Mr Mukhriz had enjoyed from his father.

'The delegates have given me a new lease of life,' Mr Khairy said yesterday. 'Emotions were running high during the campaign, [but] now that the election is over, my priority is to heal the wounds.'

The son of a Malaysian diplomat who lived and studied in the Middle East and Europe, Mr Khairy graduated from Oxford University and returned to Malaysia in 1999 to enter politics as a member of the Umno youth wing. In 2001, his ambitions received a big boost when he married Mr Abdullah's only daughter, Nori. They now have two sons.