Members of Malaysia's main Chinese political party were voting Sunday for new leaders as the organisation tried to draw a line under months of infighting. The polls were triggered by the mass resignation of the leadership of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the second-largest member of the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, earlier this month. More than 100 candidates representing various factions within the party are fighting it out for 31 posts. The party turmoil began in August last year when deputy president Chua Soi Lek was suspended over a sex tape scandal, triggering bitter factional fighting. Prime Minister Najib Razak has pressed the party to resolve the crisis, as his coalition attempts to regain support of minorities -- including ethnic Chinese and Indians -- who dropped the BN in 2008 elections. 'The purpose of (Sunday's) election is to stabilise the party ahead of the next general election, which is likely to be held before the end of this year,' said James Chin, a political scientist at Monash University's campus in Kuala Lumpur. After days of intense campaigning, more than 2,300 delegates will pick their new leaders. Results are due late Sunday. Chin said the elections might ease tensions within the party, but the MCA will not be able to win back the Chinese support it lost in 2008. 'The party is seen as unable to protect Chinese interest in the ruling coalition. The Barisan Nasional ruling coalition is too dominated by the United Malays National Organisation and Malay interest,' he said. The MCA suffered its worst ever electoral defeat in 2008, winning less than half of the parliamentary and state seats it contested. 