Zahid should step down, Mahathir says after Umno election flop

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to resign following the party's poor performance at the recent state polls, which saw Barisan Nasional (BN) winning just 19 out of the 108 seats it contested. 

Speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today, Mahathir said Zahid was "not qualified at all". 

"He is facing 47 charges. He asked to become deputy because supposedly as deputy prime minister he will not be sentenced. 

"I hope he will be brought to court without any other influence attempting to save him," he said. 

The state elections on Aug 12 saw BN and Umno largely snubbed by their traditional Malay voter base, while federal opposition pact Perikatan Nasional continued to make inroads including in states held by Pakatan Harapan. 

Of the six election-facing states, Negeri Sembilan was the only one in which Umno managed to win the bulk of the seats it contested. 

In Terengganu and Kedah, meanwhile, it was completely wiped out despite intense campaigning by top party leaders. 

Mahathir said Umno, the party he led for 22 years before his first retirement from politics, was on the decline due to leaders who did not prioritise its struggle. 

"Once upon a time, it could obtain a strong majority and form a stable government, but now it is looked down on by its own members. 

"Those who disagree with the leaders are removed – that is how Umno is now. This is not the Umno that was established, this is an Umno that was hijacked by people with different struggles."