UMNO delegates to decide if top two posts should be contested - Ahmad Zahid

Ahmad Zahid said various views had been expressed on the election for the posts of president and deputy president but he was confident that UMNO delegates were mature enough to assess the situation in line with the democratic process practised in the country.

"Some prefer no contests for these two posts but just as many want them to be contested. As one who subscribes to the process of democracy, I'm leaving it to the delegates to decide.

"However, I am confident that UMNO members can differentiate between a piece of glass and a jewel (yang mana kaca yang mana permata). Which one is smooth on the outside but crooked on the inside. As young people say, which one is original and which one is fake," he said when delivering his presidential address at the 2022 UMNO General Assembly at the World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur today.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister, had been reported as saying that he was open to a challenge from anyone eyeing the president's post.

Ahmad Zahid said this would give an opportunity for the estimated 160,000 delegates to choose the party leadership, especially the president and deputy president.

In the 2018 party election, Ahmad Zahid was elected the president, polling 93 votes to beat Khairy Jamaluddin, who obtained 51 votes, and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who had 23 votes.

In May last year, Umno amended its constitution to enable the party to defer its polls by up to six months after the general election so that members could focus on preparing for the general election.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was subsequently reported as saying that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) had approved its constitutional amendments with minor changes, effective July 29, 2022.