Umno president and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s chances of becoming the next prime minister are “shortening rapidly”, according to former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
He made the comment during the latest episode of his Keluar Sekejap podcast.
From improbable to quite probable
Khairy, the former youth and sports minister, said Zahid’s improving prospects stem from ongoing internal disputes in other parties.
“The odds for Zahid are moving from improbable to quite probable, maybe not the favourite,” he said.
Khairy highlighted that Umno appears more internally stable than its rivals, pointing to the party’s ability to handle disagreements effectively.
Umno’s decisive parliamentary strength
He noted that Umno controls about 20 to 30 parliamentary seats.
This bloc could play a decisive role in determining whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stays in power after the next general election.
“In any configuration of parties, Umno will hold the key to deciding whether the prime minister remains in power,” Khairy said.
Timing and broader political sentiment
Khairy added that the timing of elections could matter significantly.
He suggested Umno might gain further credibility from strong performances in states such as Melaka and Johor if general and state polls are held separately.
He also observed that more political figures seem to have problems with Anwar than with Zahid.
“(Opposition leader) Hamzah Zainudin says his main problem is Muhyiddin Yassin, but he still has issues with Anwar.”
“(Former economy minister) Rafizi Ramli definitely has a problem with Anwar, and PAS does not believe in an Anwar-led government.”
“Many more people have issues with Anwar than they do with Zahid,” he said.
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