Can Malaysia’s Umno reclaim role as pillar of Malay political power with solo election bid?

Can Malaysia’s Umno reclaim role as pillar of Malay political power with solo election bid?The party says a solo bid can help it win up to 60 seats in the next election and give it leverage to decide on coalition partners3-MIN READ3-MIN0ListenPublished: 5:00pm, 4 May 2026Malaysia’s Umno is making a heady gamble by planning to strike out on its own, experts say, as the former ruling party looks to rally support from among the country’s Malay-Muslim majority in preparation for national polls that must be called in less than two years from now.Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Sunday said the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that the party led was “almost certain” of standing alone in the coming general election, after more than three years as a junior partner in government with erstwhile rivals from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance.Ahmad Zahid’s announcement caps months of speculation as to whether the United Malays National Organisation will form an election pact with Anwar’s multicultural PH, which has struggled to win support from a Malay base fearful of losing their political power to the country’s ethnic minorities.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x