Zero challenge against Zahid as Umno passes no-contest motion

The Umno general assembly has passed a motion to stop any challenge to the top two positions, in a move seen as strengthening party chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's stranglehold on power despite leading the party to its worst defeat yet in the recent general election. 

Elections for the post of president and deputy president would have been held in May, but there had been calls from the camp loyal to Zahid to stop anyone from challenging him.

Delegates who took turns speaking at the assembly however warned that the move would be undemocratic.

The proposal to stop any challenge comes just two months after Zahid spearheaded the move to abandon the party's policy of not working with Pakatan Harapan and its chairman Anwar Ibrahim.

But following a scramble for numbers for Putrajaya and several rounds of negotiations between Zahid and Anwar, Umno agreed to back the former opposition leader as prime minister.