UMNO lawmakers and Supreme Council members are meeting now to decide on its preferred candidate for prime minister at its World Trade Centre headquarters.

Among those spotted at the lobby were vice president Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Pasir Salak), Zahidi Zainul Abidin (Padang Besar), and Bung Moktar Radin (Kinabatangan).

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy Mohamad Hasan were reported to have arrived earlier for the meeting.

Among the candidates being looked at are Ismail Sabri Yaakob and veteran lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, its Gua Musang MP. 

Ismail, the former deputy prime minister, has the backing of 23 Umno lawmakers while 15 aligned to the party president are opposed. 

Perikatan Nasional is in pole position to return to power if the 15 back Ismail, who is acceptable to those in the coalition. 

Sources have said the Umno vice president’s support appears to come from PN, which has 50 MPs comprising Bersatu, PAS and STAR; followed by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (18), the Umno faction led by Ismail himself (23), MCA (2), MIC (1), PBS (1), PBRS (1) and four independents.

MPs have to submit their statutory declarations (SDs) to Istana Negara by 4pm tomorrow, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun said earlier today in a letter to all lawmakers.

Azhar said he had been ordered by the palace to facilitate the submission of SDs by MPs. – August 17, 2021.