UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has confirmed that the party will not contest solo in the upcoming 16th General Election (GE16).
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said UMNO will remain a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN) for the election.
He said UMNO has never contested on its own in the past, and dismissed claims that the party’s losses in several by-elections were due to its partnership within BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
“(The suggestion to contest solo) was not only brought up in Kedah — yesterday I was in Johor, and it was the same sentiment, urging us to go solo.
“There are resolutions from some divisions implying that our defeats stem from having allies in BN and PH... that we’ve been at a disadvantage because we did not contest alone,” he said when opening the 2025 Lumut UMNO Division Delegates’ Meeting as reported by Bernama.
He said UMNO will continue to use the dacing (scales) logo (the BN symbol) in GE16 without sidelining its partners such as MIC, MCA, PH, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).
Also present at the meeting were Perak UMNO Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Lumut UMNO Division chief Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
Yesterday, UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki stated that the party will not be contesting solo in GE16, as it has never done so in its history, despite the changing political dynamics. – July 6, 2025
