Zahid won't be contesting in GE15?

SHAH ALAM - Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will not be defending the Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat that he has held for the past five terms in the 15th General Election (GE15).

Sinar Harian was made to understand that his seat will either be succeeded by his daughter Datuk Nurulhidayah or his right-hand man.

The 69-year old leader decided on this major decision as a sacrifice to ensure it will not be not utilised as campaign materials by their enemies in the upcoming polls on Nov 19 as announced by the Election Commission yesterday.

This move also corroborates the continuous support pledged by various Umno divisions for Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the Prime Minister candidate if Barisan Nasional (BN) wins.

On Sept 23, Zahid was released and acquitted by the High Court here on 40 charges of corruption in relation to the Foreign Visa System (VLN) contract.

Judge Datuk Mohd Yazid Mustafa ruled this after finding that the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case against the former deputy prime minister.

Zahid was charged in the Sessions Court with 40 charges of accepting bribes from Syarikat Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) in relation to the VLN project in June 2019.

However, he is still facing 47 charges; 12 of them involving breach of trust, eight cases of alleged corruption and 27 cases of money laundering involving funds belonging to the Yayasan Akalbudi.

Zahid began his career as the political secretary to jailed former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Dewan Negara Senator and Bank Simpanan Nasional Chairman prior to becoming the Umno Youth Chief.

After BN lost power in GE14, he took over leadership positions of Umno and BN after Najib stepped down.

In Dec 18, 2018, Zahid went on a leave of absence as the party president and returned to lead Umno six months later.

Under his leadership, BN succeeded in winning several by-elections with the most recent being Melaka and Johor State Elections that saw BN win victoriously.

Zahid won the Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat in GE14 with a majority of 5,073 votes after getting 18,909 votes defeating Pakhrurrazi Arshad (PKR) who got 13,836 votes and Pas candidate Ata Abdul Muneim Hasan Adli (4,061 votes).