Umno today announced new dates for its branch and divisional meetings and party nominations and elections to accommodate a request from branches and divisions and the visits of two world leaders to Malaysia.

Party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the divisional meetings and election of supreme council members would be held on Oct 19 instead of Oct 5.

The nomination to contest posts in the supreme council would be on Sept 28 instead of Sept 7, he said in a statement.

The last day for branches to complete their meetings would be Sept 15 instead of Aug 31, he said.

The period for nominations to contest top positions in the Wanita Umno, Umno Youth and Puteri Umno had now been extended by two weeks to Sept 21 and the meetings of the three wings would be now held on Oct 12 instead of Sept 28, he added.

Tengku Adnan said the branches and divisions had requested an extension of time for their meetings because of the month-long Ramadan fast and the subsequent Aidilfitri celebrations.

He also said that President Xi Jinping of China and President Barack Obama of the United States were scheduled to visit Malaysia in early October, and that preparations had to be made for the visits.

The Umno secretary-general said the new dates were set with the agreement of Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the party management.

He said the party management had conveyed the decision on the new dates to the members of the supreme council.

A total of 146,500 Umno grassroots members in the party's 191 divisions will be involved in electing the members of the supreme council, namely the president, deputy president, three vice-presidents and 25 ordinary members.