We were surprised - Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR - Umno supreme council members were apparently 'surprised' by the additional supplementary motion for the top two posts in the party to remain uncontested.

Its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he did not expect for the proposed motion to be put forth.

"I was following all the speeches of all the party wings and suddenly the motion was tabled at the eleventh hour proposing for the top two party posts to not be opened for contest.

"All the supreme council members were so surprised with what happened but I feel happy that everything went well," he told reporters after giving his winding up speech on the final day of the general assembly.

"All the decisions made here are final, like I said we had left it for the delegates to decide." he said Meanwhile Umno deputy president Mohamad Hassan said he had no idea that the motion would come from a Negeri Sembilan delegate.

"I was in daze and did not even notice I was busy looking over other matters and this also caught me by surprise," he said.

A majority of delegates at the Umno General Assembly on Saturday had supported the motion of no contest for the posts of president and deputy president at the party's polls this year.

Umno secretary general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan tweeted that in the voting, which was carried out at 4.52pm at the Merdeka Hall of the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre, a majority of the delegates stood up and raised their hands supporting the motion.

“A majority of the Umno delegates stood up and raised their hands in support of the motion on the presidential winding up speech , with the addition that the posts of Umno president and deputy president not be contested, " he said in his tweet.

The Umno election must be held before May 19, which is six months after the date of the 15th general election (GE15).