Umno seeks early Malaysian election to cement conservative Malay bloc

Malaysia’s Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Friday called for the general election to be held immediately, in the once-dominant Malay party’s clearest indication yet that it was looking beyond the country’s current governing alliance ahead of the next election.

The call comes as Umno deepens ties with opposition Islamist party the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), buoyed by recent state victories and growing talk of a new alignment to consolidate the Malay vote.

“The time has come for the [national election] to be held immediately. Agree?” Zahid told delegates during the party’s general assembly at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. “Since we are already fighting, let us fight. Fight all the way.”

The demand marked a harder line from Zahid, who only last week said Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) was open to an early election but was prepared to let parliament run its full term. Malaysia does not have to hold its next general election until early 2028.

Zahid, deputy prime minister in Anwar Ibrahim’s government, also warned against betrayal in future political deals but did not name any of Umno’s current government partners.