Kuala lumpur: UMNO will conduct its party polls only after the 16th General Election (GE16), announced UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. This decision is facilitated by the amendment to the party's constitution made at the Special UMNO General Assembly in 2022.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ahmad Zahid clarified that the party has an 18-month window to hold the elections after the general election, due to the amended UMNO Constitution. The amendment allows the elections to be conducted 18 months from the end of the election year or following the general election, whichever occurs first. Ahmad Zahid, who also serves as the Deputy Prime Minister, shared this information after attending a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and memorandum of cooperation (MoC) exchange during the Agrocommodity, Women in Halal Industry Expo.

The amendment to the party's constitution specifies that the postponement of elections cannot exceed 18 months from the date they were initially due or six months after a General Election. The last UMNO election took place in 2023, with the positions of president and deputy president remaining uncontested.