SHAH ALAM – Umno may be at its weakest but the excitement for party polls has began.
Nominations closed on Feb 27 and eventhough the two top post will not be contested but it is not short of speculations as seven Umno leaders fight for the party vice president post.
The three most prominent are Datuk Johari Ghani and incumbents Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
Others who have thrown in their hat in the ring are Law and Institutional Reform minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Wan Rosdy Ismail and former Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad.
Khalid is known to be the president’s man while Johari is seen as capable of cracking the whip when necessary.
The Wanita Umno chief post is the only top position with a straight fight with former Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil hoping to reclaim the seat from incumbent Datuk Noraini Ahmad.
There is a four-cornered fight for the Umno Youth chief seat to replace Datuk Seri Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. The four are Meor Hassan Ali, Arman Azha Hanifah, Akmal Salleh and Syed Rosli Syed Harman.
Delegates will need to choose the best from the six contestants at eyeing the Puteri Umno chief post. They are Khaidirah Abu Zahar, Puteri Umno deputy chief Nurul Amal Fauzi, Puteri Umno exco member Fadhwa Anuar and Wan Noor Akyilah Wan Shapuddin (Pandan Puteri Umno chief).
The Umno polls has also drawn 74 contestants for just 25 supreme council posts.
The elections for the party wings – Wanita, Youth, and Puteri – will be held simultaneously on March 11 while elections for the Umno divisions and its supreme council will be held simultaneously on March 18. SINAR DAILY
Zahid brushes off talk of three camps in Umno
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has brushed off allegations that there are three camps in Umno.
The party president said that there is only “one camp” in Umno.
“There’s only one camp in Umno, which is Malaysia’s Umno camp,” he told reporters at the Mara Food Industry Complex here on Tuesday (Feb 28).
Asked if the allegations on the existence of the camps were ill-intended, he said: “There’s no ill-intentions because the camps are nonexistent.”
Previously, it was reported that a political analyst claimed that there were three factions in the party leading to a “crowd of candidates” for the upcoming Umno election.
The analyst alleged that the factions were pro-president, anti-president and neutral.
On Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s decision not to defend his position, Ahmad Zahid said he respected the former prime minister’s decision.
“It’s his right (to contest or not),” he said briefly.
The Deputy Prime Minister also revealed the number of candidates who will contest the party positions.
Eight candidates are eyeing the vice-president post, 93 will be contesting for supreme council seats, two for the Wanita wing chief post, five for Youth chief and six for Puteri chief.
“I will lead the introduction of the candidates that will contest in the party election starting from this weekend,” Ahmad Zahid said.
Umno is in the midst of its internal elections for the 191 divisions and 22,000 branches, including the divisions that were suspended.
The new office bearers of the party will be elected between Feb 1 and March 18, but the top two positions of president and deputy president will not be contested.
In May last year, Umno amended its constitution to allow party polls to be held within six months after the conclusion of the 15th General Election. ANN
SINAR DAILY / ANN
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