KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — Former Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak congratulated Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for being elected as the new president of the party for the 2018-2021 term.

He also congratulated Negri Sembilan Umno Liaison Committee chairman and Rembau Umno Division chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan for winning the contest for deputy president’s post at the party polls yesterday.

"It is time for us to close rank for the sake of religion, race and country,” he tweeted today.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Bagan Datuk Umno Division chief and formerly vice-president assuming the duties of party president, garnered 93 votes, to defeat his two main contenders, namely former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin who secured 51 votes and the party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who obtained 23 votes.

Mohamad was elected as the deputy president after receiving 110 votes to defeat Umno Information chief cum Ketereh MP ​​​​Tan Sri Annuar Musa who only managed to secure 47 votes, as of late last night.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor in a press conference last night said that the complete Umno election results would be announced today.

This was the first time the party’s president post was contested in more than three decades.

In 1987, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Moha­mad, who was then Umno president, recorded a slim 43-vote win over Tengku Razaleigh. — Bernama