Up to Supreme Council to decide on Umno polls, says Ismail Sabri

It is up to the Umno Supreme Council to decide whether to hold party elections this year or to postpone it for up to 18 months, Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

Ismail, who is also the senior minister for security, said according to the party’s constitution, elections must be held every three years once the term for the party leadership ends.

“According to the Umno constitution, the Supreme Council is allowed to postpone (party elections) for up to 18 months.

“The term for the current Umno leadership will end on June 30, 2021, but it is up to the council to put party elections on hold,” he said after an event in Petaling Jaya.

Umno is supposed to hold party elections this year but no decision has yet been made as there are different views among its leaders who respectively insist that polls be held before the 15th general election or be postponed.

In February, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave his assurance that party elections would be held this year although no date was fixed.

The last time Umno held its internal polls was on June 30, 2018.