UMNO elections: Saifuddin suffers surprise defeat
Former Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who was Temerloh UMNO deputy chief, suffered a surprise defeat from his challenger, Nor Azmi Mat Ludin who made a comeback after five years.
Saifuddin, who is also UMNO Supreme Council incumbent, received 205 votes while Nor Azmi garnered 251 votes. Another challenger, Datuk Akhbar Abu, received 194 votes.
Saifuddin was seen as among the few UMNO leaders who possessed progressive views in politics and was vocal in bringing forth change towards a new political culture and landscape.
In his Twitter, Saifuddin congratulated his opponent and said he accepted the delegates' choice.
He, however, hinted his loss to stem from him not being involved in money politics.
Meanwhile, according to the unofficial results released by UMNO headquarters, Saifuddin, who contested to defend his Supreme Council seat, was still not listed among the top 25 candidates thus far.
In the last general election, Saifuddin failed to retain his Temerloh parliamentary seat after losing to PAS Youth chief Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi by a 1,070-vote majority.
The former minister was recently appointed as the chief executive officer of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF).
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