Zahid Pressures Anwar to Call Election or Face Confidence Vote — SkimNews
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- Ahmad Zahid Hamidi challenged PM Anwar Ibrahim at UMNO's Sep 12 General Assembly to either call a fresh general election or formally remove UMNO from government via a confidence vote, as delegates repeatedly chanted "dissolve."
- Zahid also attacked Anwar's handling of the RON95 petrol subsidy quota under the BUDI95 scheme, calling him "Guru" and accusing him of reversing the policy "out of fear" when elections approached.
- Barisan Nasional holds 30 MPs, and even if all withdrew support, Anwar would retain 114 MPs in the 222-seat parliament — a simple majority — though he would lose the two-thirds supermajority needed to amend the Federal Constitution.
- Analysts identified the upcoming Budget vote — described as the nearest signpost — as UMNO's key pressure point, noting that Zahid's UMNO and the wider BN bloc lack the numbers on their own to defeat the government.
- Zahid struck a conciliatory tone with reporters, pledging UMNO would remain part of the unity government until the end of the term despite his fiery rhetoric at the assembly floor.
- Anwar is shoring up support from East Malaysian blocs GPS and GRS by backing increased parliamentary representation for Sabah and Sarawak, which currently hold a combined 25% of seats versus a longstanding push for 33%.
- BN has shifted political winds in its favor through recent victories in Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections and its collaboration with opposition Perikatan Nasional to consolidate the Malay vote ahead of the GE due by February 2028.
Why it matters: The 30-seat BN bloc cannot topple Anwar's government — he would retain 114 of 222 parliamentary seats without them — but losing BN strips the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments and budget passage, giving Zahid leverage to extract concessions and keep UMNO's post-election alliance options open.
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